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Durant's Thunder cool surging Heat
Source: Agencies |
March 18, 2011, Friday
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KEVIN Durant scored 29 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder cooled the surging Miami Heat with a 96-85 triumph on Wednesday for their fifth straight win.
Durant, the NBA's leading scorer, won his one-on-one duel with fellow All-Star forward LeBron James as the Thunder snapped the Heat's three-game winning streak.
"My teammates always put me in great positions to score. I've been working out as hard as I can this season and the shots are starting to fall for me," Durant said after adding seven rebounds and six assists. "It was a great win for the Oklahoma City Thunder."
Russell Westbrook added 18 points in the winning effort and Oklahoma City used defense to contain Miami which shot just 38 percent from the field. Heat pair Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 21 points each while James finished with 19 for Miami, which fell three games behind the top spot in the Eastern Conference held jointly by the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.
"Tough game, and they beat us in a lot of the tough-area categories, particularly on the glass," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Losing streak
The Heat (46-22) had responded to a five-game losing streak with a trio of impressive wins, including a 30-point blowout over the NBA-best San Antonio Spurs on Monday, but were undone by a poor second-half effort against Oklahoma City.
Miami managed just 40 points after the interval to allow the Thunder to turn a one-point halftime lead into a double-digit advantage.
Oklahoma City began the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run that gave the visitors a 78-66 lead with 7:39 remaining.
The Northwest Division-leading Thunder (44-23) have won eight of their last nine games and are fourth in the Western Conference.
In Boston, Jeff Green scored 13 of his 19 points in the second quarter as Boston coasted past Indiana 92-80 and moved back into a first-place tie in the Eastern Conference.
In Milwaukee, Dwight Howard had 31 points and 22 rebounds to lead Orlando to an 93-89 overtime victory over Milwaukee.
In Atlanta, Nene scored 20 points and J.R. Smith added all of his 15 in the fourth quarter as Denver ran away to beat Atlanta 102-87.
Elsewhere, it was: Hornets 100, Suns 95; Rockets 94, Bobcats 78; Mavericks 112, Warriors 106; Jazz 119, Timberwolves 104; Pistons 107, Raptors 93; 76ers 104, Clippers 94; and Cavaliers 97, Kings 93.
Durant, the NBA's leading scorer, won his one-on-one duel with fellow All-Star forward LeBron James as the Thunder snapped the Heat's three-game winning streak.
"My teammates always put me in great positions to score. I've been working out as hard as I can this season and the shots are starting to fall for me," Durant said after adding seven rebounds and six assists. "It was a great win for the Oklahoma City Thunder."
Russell Westbrook added 18 points in the winning effort and Oklahoma City used defense to contain Miami which shot just 38 percent from the field. Heat pair Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 21 points each while James finished with 19 for Miami, which fell three games behind the top spot in the Eastern Conference held jointly by the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.
"Tough game, and they beat us in a lot of the tough-area categories, particularly on the glass," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Losing streak
The Heat (46-22) had responded to a five-game losing streak with a trio of impressive wins, including a 30-point blowout over the NBA-best San Antonio Spurs on Monday, but were undone by a poor second-half effort against Oklahoma City.
Miami managed just 40 points after the interval to allow the Thunder to turn a one-point halftime lead into a double-digit advantage.
Oklahoma City began the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run that gave the visitors a 78-66 lead with 7:39 remaining.
The Northwest Division-leading Thunder (44-23) have won eight of their last nine games and are fourth in the Western Conference.
In Boston, Jeff Green scored 13 of his 19 points in the second quarter as Boston coasted past Indiana 92-80 and moved back into a first-place tie in the Eastern Conference.
In Milwaukee, Dwight Howard had 31 points and 22 rebounds to lead Orlando to an 93-89 overtime victory over Milwaukee.
In Atlanta, Nene scored 20 points and J.R. Smith added all of his 15 in the fourth quarter as Denver ran away to beat Atlanta 102-87.
Elsewhere, it was: Hornets 100, Suns 95; Rockets 94, Bobcats 78; Mavericks 112, Warriors 106; Jazz 119, Timberwolves 104; Pistons 107, Raptors 93; 76ers 104, Clippers 94; and Cavaliers 97, Kings 93.
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