Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks on Wednesday said that NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant would return in one to two weeks — and it cannot come soon enough for the Thunder.
The Los Angeles Clippers silenced the Thunder 120-108 on Wednesday, Oklahoma City’s fourth defeat in seven games.
The latest setback dropped them out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Photo: EPA
Chris Paul had 33 points and nine assists for the Clippers, who have won five of their past seven and are fifth in the West.
DeAndre Jordan scored 18 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, J.J. Redick provided 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Matt Barnes chipped in 22 points for the Clippers, who are still without injured forward Blake Griffin.
Russell Westbrook provided 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Anthony Morrow added 26 points off the bench for the Thunder, who will be eager to welcome back Durant for their playoff push.
Durant has been sidelined since a Feb. 22 procedure to reduce pain in his surgically repaired right foot.
“He’s progressing,” Brooks said before Wednesday’s game. “We evaluated him today and expect him to return within a week, a week or two weeks.”
The Clippers led 65-57 at halftime and Barnes opened the third quarter with a three-pointer that stretched the margin to double digits.
He drained two more from long range as Los Angeles stretched their lead to 83-63.
They led by as many as 22, before taking an 100-85 lead into the fourth quarter.
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