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Durant steals Clippers' Thunder
Source: Agencies |
January 24, 2013, Thursday
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KEVIN Durant put on a second-half show to help Oklahoma City overwhelm the Los Angeles Clippers 109-97 on Tuesday in a possible dress rehearsal for this season's Western Conference finals.
Durant caught fire with 24 of his game-high 32 points coming in the final two quarters, where the league's leading scorer mixed 3-point bombs with a forceful dunk to carry the National Basketball Association-leading Thunder (33-9) to an emphatic road victory.
"My shots were falling and my teammates were getting offensive rebounds and kicking it out for (3-pointers)," Durant told reporters. "When we're driving and kicking, we're pretty good."
Elsewhere in the NBA, it was: Cavaliers 95, Celtics 90; Pistons 105, Magic 90; and Bucks 110, 76ers 102.
In Los Angeles, despite playing without injured point guard Chris Paul, the Clippers trailed by just four at halftime but were out-scored 33-23 in the third quarter to slip to a 14-point deficit.
Oklahoma City extended the advantage by a further two points early in the fourth before Los Angeles trimmed the advantage in the closing minutes.
Russell Westbrook added 26 points and six assists for the defending conference champions Thunder, who have now won seven of eight games.
The Clippers (32-11) entered the contest with the second best record in the West but slipped to third behind San Antonio (33-11) despite 31 points and 11 rebounds from Blake Griffin.
Paul was sidelined for the fourth time in six games because of a right knee ailment as Los Angeles lost its second straight. The Clippers kept things close until Durant sparked the visitors with 11 points in the third. He added 13 more in the fourth, including a monster one-handed slam over Lamar Odom.
Durant's shooting touch seemed to rub off on his teammates as the Thunder made 15-of-27 3-point attempts.
"We have to run them off threes and make them beat us with something else," Los Angeles reserve Jamal Crawford said. "(Durant and Westbrook) are a dynamic duo. We'll see them again."
Durant caught fire with 24 of his game-high 32 points coming in the final two quarters, where the league's leading scorer mixed 3-point bombs with a forceful dunk to carry the National Basketball Association-leading Thunder (33-9) to an emphatic road victory.
"My shots were falling and my teammates were getting offensive rebounds and kicking it out for (3-pointers)," Durant told reporters. "When we're driving and kicking, we're pretty good."
Elsewhere in the NBA, it was: Cavaliers 95, Celtics 90; Pistons 105, Magic 90; and Bucks 110, 76ers 102.
In Los Angeles, despite playing without injured point guard Chris Paul, the Clippers trailed by just four at halftime but were out-scored 33-23 in the third quarter to slip to a 14-point deficit.
Oklahoma City extended the advantage by a further two points early in the fourth before Los Angeles trimmed the advantage in the closing minutes.
Russell Westbrook added 26 points and six assists for the defending conference champions Thunder, who have now won seven of eight games.
The Clippers (32-11) entered the contest with the second best record in the West but slipped to third behind San Antonio (33-11) despite 31 points and 11 rebounds from Blake Griffin.
Paul was sidelined for the fourth time in six games because of a right knee ailment as Los Angeles lost its second straight. The Clippers kept things close until Durant sparked the visitors with 11 points in the third. He added 13 more in the fourth, including a monster one-handed slam over Lamar Odom.
Durant's shooting touch seemed to rub off on his teammates as the Thunder made 15-of-27 3-point attempts.
"We have to run them off threes and make them beat us with something else," Los Angeles reserve Jamal Crawford said. "(Durant and Westbrook) are a dynamic duo. We'll see them again."
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