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
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season
Houston Astros right-hander Teng Kai-wei, the only active Taiwanese pitcher in MLB, on Sunday suffered his third loss of the season, throwing a season-high 63 pitches in his second start of the year. Teng allowed three earned runs over three innings on five hits in the Astros’ 5-0 road loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out one, walked one, and hit one batter among the 15 hitters he faced, raising his earned run average to 3.12. It was the Astros’ second attempt to use the 27-year-old Taiwanese as a starter, after he had established himself as a reliable bullpen
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