Kevin Durant had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his return from a shoulder injury to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their seventh straight win, 103-91 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
Durant was scratched against Boston on Friday with a sprained right shoulder. Against the Sixers, he was one of the first Thunder players to hit the court for pre-game warmups. He dunked several times, even hanging on the rim for several seconds after one, and was fit to play.
The 12-win Sixers trimmed Oklahoma City’s lead to four in the third quarter, before Durant keyed a 14-5 run to open a comfortable lead. The NBA’s leading scorer has reached at least 30 points in his past 10 games.
Serge Ibaka had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder.
James Anderson led the Sixers with 19 points.
CLIPPERS 126, RAPTORS 118
In Toronto, Jamal Crawford had a season-high 37 points and 11 assists as Los Angeles overcame Terrence Ross’ 51 points to beat Toronto.
Ross matched Vince Carter’s franchise record set 14 years ago and nearly doubled his previous career high of 26 points against Portland on Jan. 2 last year.
The second-year guard shot 10 of 17 from three-point range and nine for 10 at the free-throw line. However, he missed his final foul shot with 4 seconds left, failing to top the 51 points Carter scored in a 103-102 win over Phoenix on Feb. 27, 2000.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Bulls 89, Bobcats 87
‧ Grizzlies 99, Rockets 81
‧ Nuggets 109, Pacers 96
‧ Blazers 115, Timberwolves 104
‧ Jazz 104, Wizards 101
‧ Hawks 112, Bucks 87
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
KNICKS TAKE LEAD: San Antonio put on a 9-0 run to be up 95-94 with just over 2 minutes to play, but the rest of the game belonged to the New York Knicks It was past five minutes through the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday and the New York Knicks’ 11-game winning streak was in major jeopardy. The Knicks missed nine of their first 10 shots in the early part of the period and trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 14 points. They were floundering. Then something crazy happened. The Knicks found new life from an unlikely source: The Spurs. New York rallied to tie the game by the end of the period, gave up the lead briefly late in the fourth quarter, and pulled away late for a 105-95
RSS