NBA News Wire
Thunder 103, Sixers 91
PHILADELPHIA — NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant extended a personal streak Saturday night, and something more.
Oklahoma City’s star forward scored 32 points in the Thunder’s 103-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, extending to 10 his consecutive-game streak with 30 or more, and added 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season, and the fifth of his career.
Durant, who missed Friday night’s victory in Boston with a sprained right shoulder, is just the sixth NBA player since 1990 to fashion a 30-point-plus streak of 10 games or more. He shot 12-for-17 from the floor, as the Western Conference-leading Thunder (35-10) won its seventh straight.
The Thunder, which also received a 25-point, 11-rebound, five-block performance from forward Serge Ibaka, has now had three winning streaks of at least seven games this season.
Oklahoma City has also beaten Philadelphia nine straight times, and has won 12 straight road games against Eastern Conference opponents. Overall, the Thunder is 13-2 against the East this season.
Guard/forward James Anderson had 19 points to lead the Sixers (14-30), who lost for the fifth time in six games. They have also dropped nine of their last 11 at home.
Guard/forward Evan Turner and center Spencer Hawes added 15 and 14 points, respectively, and forward Thaddeus Young contributed 13, along with 10 rebounds and eight steals.
Oklahoma City built a 13-point lead early in the third quarter, only to see Philadelphia reel off nine straight points, the first seven of those by Hawes, to cut the gap to 69-65.
But the Thunder scored 10 of the next 14 points, the last two of those when Durant scooped up a loose ball and went the length of the court for a dunk to reach the 30-point plateau. That left OKC with a 79-69 advantage. By quarter’s end, they were up by 12, at 83-71.
The Sixers drew no closer than eight in the fourth quarter. The only drama at that point was whether Durant would pick up his 10th assist to complete the triple-double. It came when he fed center/forward Nick Collison for a jumper from the right wing with 4:54 left.
Ibaka made his first five shots as the Thunder moved to a 19-13 lead early in the game, but Turner crammed six points into the final 1:43 of the quarter, enabling the Sixers to forge a 26-26 tie.
Then Durant went to work in the second period. There was a fadeaway jumper from the left baseline, a dunk and later a layup, another slam and a 3-pointer from the top of the circle, over Michael Carter-Williams. Just like that Oklahoma City had forged a 43-34 lead.
Durant had 11 points in the quarter and 18 in the half, which ended with the Thunder on top, 53-44. Ibaka shot 8-for-9 and scored 16 points, with seven rebounds and five blocks. Durant also grabbed seven boards in the half.
Durant and guard Thabo Sefolosha then scored six points each in the opening minutes of the third quarter — Sefolosha on a pair of 3-pointers — as OKC moved to a 67-54 advantage.
NOTES: Thunder coach Scott Brooks said before tipoff that the overall excellence of G-F Kevin Durant has been overlooked during his hot streak. “I’m proud that he’s done it on the defensive end, and also in the passing department,” Brooks said. “He can score, like a lot of guys in this league can score, but what makes him a special player is that he wants his teammates to score and he wants to stop the other team from scoring.” … Brooks also is impressed by the development of Sixers G Michael Carter-Williams. “He’s very good, very crafty,” Brooks said. “It seems like he’s been in the league for five or six years. He plays with poise out there. He’s very active defensively. He’s active with long arms. He gets in the passing lanes. And he’s a better shooter than I thought.” … Sixers G Tony Wroten returned after missing the three previous games because of a sprained right ankle.