Durant carries Thunder past flailing Hawks
Triple double for forward, Atlanta slump goes on
>> LOS ANGELES: Kevin Durant posted a triple double as the Oklahoma City Thunder won their eighth game in the last 10 with a 107-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.
Forward Durant shot eight-of-14 from the field en route to 25 points, and added 10 assists and 12 rebounds in front of a crowd of 18,200 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
“I just try to play the game and make it simple for myself,” Durant said.
“I knew last time they expected me to be aggressive and score every time I got the ball. So I just tried to switch the game up. Get Serge [Ibaka] open. Get Russ [Westbrook] shots. Get Steven [Adams] shots.
“I think it’s contagious when your top guys do that. Russ did a great job of setting the tone.”
Forward Ibaka had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Westbrook finished with 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for Oklahoma City, who were coming off a 125-88 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies.
It was the first time Westbrook and Durant each had at least 20 points and 10 assists as the Thunder displayed the offence that they hope makes them a title contender in the Western Conference.
Guard Kent Bazemore came off the Atlanta bench to score 22 points on seven-of-11 shooting. Jeff Teague scored 18 points for the Hawks, but forward Paul Millsap was held to seven points and eight rebounds.
“They have good players,” Millsap said. “When we make a run, they have players that can fill up the stat sheet and stop those runs. I think we did a great job of competing and getting back in the game. But we have good players too, and we have to find a way to get over that hump.”
Atlanta began the season 7-1 but have now dragged through a 5-9 lull.
BULLS 83 CLIPPERS 80
In Chicago, Pau Gasol scored 24 points as Chicago beat the Clippers to end a three-game losing streak.
The Bulls caught a big break midway through the third quarter when Clippers All-Star Blake Griffin was ejected for a hard foul against Taj Gibson, and they came away with the win after blowing a 16-point lead.
Jimmy Butler finished with 14 points after pouring in a careerhigh 36 the previous night against Boston. Derrick Rose scored all of his 11 points in the second half, and Gibson finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Griffin led the Clippers with 18 points. Chris Paul scored 12 but missed the tying three-point attempt, while DeAndre Jordan added 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Clippers hit 10 of 22 3-pointers but came up short after winning three straight and six of seven.
NETS 100 76ERS 91
In New York, Andrea Bargnani scored a season-high 23 points, and Thaddeus Young had 18 points and 11 rebounds as Brooklyn beat Philadelphia.
Brooklyn won for the sixth time in its last seven home games. Philadelphia fell to 0-13 on the road.
Shane Larkin scored 14 points and Bojan Bogdanovic had 10 for the Nets.
Jahlil Okafor had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and TJ McConnell scored 17 points for the 76ers.
KINGS 99 KNICKS 97
In Sacramento, Rajon Rondo had 16 points, 12 assists and a jaw-dropping dunk in the fourth quarter that led Sacramento over New York.
Rondo added nine rebounds to finish just shy of his fifth triple-double of the season. DeMarcus Cousins had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who have just their second winning streak of the season. Sacramento also won three in a row in November.
Carmelo Anthony had 23 points and 14 rebounds but missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Knicks, who have lost four straight and eight of the past 10 games.