Emotion high for Game 5 as foes get pushy

NBA Clippers at Thunder, 8:30 p.m., TNT

OKLAHOMA CITY— Kevin Durant says the Clippers are hanging all over him.

Russell Westbrook says they are flopping.

Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers says the Thunder made a dirty play against Blake Griffin in Game 4.

Game 5 of a Western Conference semifinal series that already has included 15 individual technical fouls ought to be interesting.

Oklahoma City appeared ready to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series Sunday, but instead the Thunder squandered a 16-point edge in the final 10 minutes of a 101-99 loss that evened things up at 2-2. Control will be at stake today, and the team that keeps its emotions in check could come out with the advantage.

Durant is frustrated with the way the Clippers are defending him. They had success with 6-foot point guard Chris Paul guarding the 6-foot-9 former Texas Longhorn at times in the second half Sunday. Though Durant made 7 of 10 field goals after the break, he also committed seven of his eight turnovers. Durant said Paul played him well, but he had a lot of help, some from 6-foot Darren Collison.

“Little guys get up under you, but they’re not just going to play me oneon-one,” Durant said. “Basically, they’ve got three guys watching me. They’ve got one behind me, so when I caught it, they double-teamed as soon as I caught it. And when they didn’t double-team, I scored. People always have something to say about the one-on-one matchup, which never happens in this league, especially with me.”

Durant said there’s more than good defense going on.

“Every time I pass the ball, there’s a guy on my arm,” the league MVP said. “I’m 6-9. There’s no way two 6-footers are going to get the ball. You do the math.”

When asked about the chippiness between the teams, Westbrook said the Clippers were creating some of it with their actions.

“There’s a lot of flopping going on — I can tell you that much,” he said.

The Clippers are not thrilled with some of Oklahoma City’s tactics, either. Thunder forward Serge Ibaka caught Blake Griffin with a shot to the groin in Game 4, and Rivers believes the league should respond.

“I’ve watched the tape,” he said. “I’m sure the league is looking into it. I don’t think they need me calling and doing anything. But, yeah, I’ve watched it. I think they should look into it.”

The Thunder need to stay focused and deal with those issues while moving on from the disappointment of Game 4.

“We’ve got to turn the page,” Durant said. “We gave it away. It’s unfortunate, but we come back home 2-2, and we’re looking forward to playing another game.”