Kevin Durant scored 24 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped San Antonio’s 11-game National Basketball Association (NBA) win streak with a 94-88 home victory over the Spurs on Wednesday.
Spanish Olympian Serge Ibaka scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half to help the Thunder remain unbeaten on their home court this season.
The Thunder improved to 10-3 with their fifth win in a row and 7-0 at home this season, but Oklahoma City still trails Portland (13-2) by two games in the Northwest division.
The Spurs fell to 13-2, still 2.5 games atop second-place Houston in the Southwest division.
Thunder reserve Reggie Jackson matched a career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting.
French guard Tony Parker led the Spurs with 16 points and seven assists, while Kawhi Leonard contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in a losing cause.
San Antonio clung to a 52-51 lead early in the second half when the Thunder ran off eight points in a row, a spurt that ended with a Durant slam dunk off a Russell Westbrook steal.
The Thunder stayed in front to the finish, although a 9-1 spurt by the Spurs pulled San Antonio within 79-76 on a Marco Belinelli jumper.
Oklahoma City scored seven of the next eight points, including a three-point play by Durant, and the Thunder went 6-of-6 at the free-throw line in the final 80 seconds to seal the triumph.
In Cleveland, LeBron James scored 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds and passed out eight assists against his former club on Wednesday to spark the Miami Heat over hosts Cleveland Cavaliers 95-84.
James, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, guided the two-time defending NBA champions to their eighth victory in a row, as well as Miami’s eighth consecutive victory in matchups against the Cavaliers, the home-area club James played for until leaving for the Heat in 2010.
Dwyane Wade added 22 points for the Heat, while Michael Beasley scored 17 off the bench for Miami, who are 11-1 overall against Cleveland since James joined the Heat.
James was to host his teammates at his Ohio home yesterday for a Thanksgiving holiday celebration.
Dion Waiters scored 24 points to lead the Cavaliers, who have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight. Kyrie Irving scored 16 points and Earl Clark netted 13 for Cleveland.
In other play, it was:
‧ Suns 120, Trail Blazers 106
‧ Pacers 99, Bobcats 74
‧ Grizzlies 100, Celtics 93
‧ Lakers 99, Nets 94
‧ Wizards 100, Bucks 92, OT
‧ Magic 105, 76ers 94
‧ Bulls 99, Pistons 79
‧ Nuggets 117, Timberwolves 110
‧ Rockets 113, Hawks 84
‧ Mavericks 103, Warriors 99
‧ Clippers 93, Knicks 80
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The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
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