Kevin Durant’s 30-plus scoring streak ended, but he still played a key role as a sharp-shooting Oklahoma City beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-95 on Friday to extend the Thunder’s winning run to 10 games and boost their NBA lead.
Durant had passed 30 points in 12 straight games, but was rested for the entire fourth quarter and settled for 26 as the Thunder moved four games clear of the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference.
Elsewhere, Atlanta had seven players in double figures to cruise past Philadelphia, Memphis continued their strong form by beating Minnesota and Toronto won at Denver for the first time in 11 years.
Photo: AFP
Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, finished 10 of 12 from the field, though his scoring average during his sensational month dropped from 36.6 to 35.9.
Serge Ibaka made all 12 shots, while adding 25 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who shot 63.6 percent, the highest in the NBA this season, and out-rebounded Brooklyn 41-17.
Shaun Livingston scored 16 points for the Nets while drawing the unenviable assignment of defending Durant.
Photo: AFP
Atlanta’s Mike Scott and Elton Brand scored 18 points apiece as the Hawks routed the Philadelphia 76ers 125-99.
Thaddeus Young scored 29 points for the Sixers, who have dropped 11 of their past 13 home games, including five straight for the first time in four years.
Memphis’ Zach Randolph had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to a tight 94-90 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Courtney Lee added 16 points for the Grizzlies, who have won 10 of their past 11, including six straight on the road, to work their way back into strong playoff contention.
Kevin Love shook off the pain from a sore left ankle to lead Minnesota with 28 points and 16 rebounds.
The Toronto Raptors won 100-90 to notch their first win at the Denver Nuggets since 2003, having lost on their previous nine visits.
DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points and Terrence Ross had 18 for the Raptors, who moved four games clear of Brooklyn at the top of the Atlantic Division.
The Nuggets announced during the game that guard Nate Robinson had season-ending surgery earlier on Friday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
J.J. Hickson and Evan Fournier led Denver with 18 points apiece.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry made eight three-pointers in scoring a season-high 44 points, leading the Warriors past the Utah Jazz 95-90.
Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points to guide the Mavericks to a 107-103 win over the Sacramento Kings, who lost a sixth straight.
Charlotte’s Al Jefferson tied a career high with 40 points, 16 of them in the fourth quarter, and grabbed 18 rebounds to give the Bobcats a 110-100 win over Los Angeles and condemn the floundering Lakers to a sixth straight defeat.
The Orlando Magic ran past the Milwaukee Bucks 113-102 in a clash of the league’s two worst teams, with Arron Afflalo scoring 21 points.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set