By JON KRAWCZYNSKI ADVERTISING By JON KRAWCZYNSKI AP Basketball Writer MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Durant scored 23 of his season-high 48 points in the fourth quarter and hit the winner with 4 seconds to play to rally the Oklahoma City Thunder
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Basketball Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Durant scored 23 of his season-high 48 points in the fourth quarter and hit the winner with 4 seconds to play to rally the Oklahoma City Thunder from 13 points down in a 115-111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Durant went 7 for 11 from the field and hit four 3-pointers in the final quarter to help the Thunder rebound from two straight losses at home.
Kevin Love played the entire second half and finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for the Wolves. But he missed four free throws in the final 27 seconds to let this one slip away. The last three came when he was fouled on a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds to go and the Wolves down two.
After Durant hit a step-back jumper from 18 feet right over Dante Cunningham’s outstretched arm to give the Thunder a 113-111 lead, Love was fouled on a 3-pointer by Kendrick Perkins. Perhaps a little gassed from the work load, Love missed the first two free throws and his on-purpose miss on the third one didn’t hit the rim, giving Oklahoma City the ball.
Durant knocked down two more free throws, and the two stars embraced after the final horn, a thrilling duel just finished.
Durant and Love each got off to slow starts for the game, combining to shoot 8 for 24 in the first half. But they gave everyone their money’s worth in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder trailed 90-77 in the fourth before Durant, who also has seven rebounds and seven assists, went off.
The Thunder had let two fourth quarter leads slip away at home this week thanks to opposing defenses swarming Durant and forcing other players to beat them. Durant sure got involved Saturday, scoring six of Oklahoma City’s first seven buckets in the fourth to get the Thunder going.
He was 5 of 16 in the first half, but grew more emboldened than ever in the fourth to try to stave off the Thunder’s first three-game losing streak since last February. Durant found his shot in a hurry, hitting a runner in the lane, a drive to the bucket and two 3s during an 11-0 run to cut Minnesota’s lead to 92-90 with nine minutes to go.
His last shot was a pull-up 3 in transition, and Durant struck a pose and stared at the Wolves’ bench, and it was on.
The two superstars traded haymakers the rest of the way.
In one stirring sequence, Love hit a layup, Durant drilled a 3 and Love hit one of his own for a 97-93 Wolves lead with just over seven minutes to play. Durant came right back with yet another 3 and again barked at the Wolves’ bench.
Love’s second 3 of the fourth gave Minnesota a 103-100 lead with 4:30 to play, but Jeremy Lamb followed a missed jumper by Durant to give Oklahoma City a 109-107 lead with 1:19 to go.
Love tied it on a hook shot over Serge Ibaka and then scored on a drive to the hoop that tied it again, at 111, with 27 seconds to play. But he missed the free throw that came with the foul, opening the door for Durant’s cold-blooded response.
Derek Fisher scored 13 points, and Ibaka had 12 points for Oklahoma City, which was outscored 66-46 in the paint.
Nikola Pekovic had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and Ricky Rubio had 13 points, 10 assists and five steals, but missed six of his final seven shots.
NOTES: Kevin Martin had 17 points and six rebounds for Minnesota. Oklahoma City committed 22 turnovers, but scored 24 points off 15 miscues by Minnesota. … Timberwolves first-round draft choice Shabazz Muhammad will start a weeklong stint with Iowa in the NBA Development League on Sunday.
SPURS 116
CLIPPERS 92
SAN ANTONIO — Tiago Splitter had 22 points before leaving with a right shoulder injury, Tim Duncan added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and San Antonio beat Los Angeles in the Clippers’ first game without injured All-Star Chris Paul.
Tony Parker had 17 points for San Antonio (26-8). Splitter left with 9:37 remaining after charging into Ryan Hollins’ chest.
Jamal Crawford scored 24 points for Los Angeles, and Blake Griffin had 19. Darren Collison added 14 points and six assists while starting in place of Paul, who separated his right shoulder Friday night against Dallas.
HEAT 110, MAGIC 94
ORLANDO, Fla. — Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each had 20 points, helping Miami rally for the win.
Rashard Lewis added 18 points and LeBron James finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
The Heat’s win was their eighth straight over the Magic. It was also Miami’s 22nd consecutive divisional victory, leaving it just one win short of tying Boston’s NBA record of 23 set in 1961.
Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 21 points, and Tobias Harris added 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Magic lost their third straight.
PACERS 99
PELICANS 82
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead four Pacers in double figures, and Indiana rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit for the win.
Lance Stephenson scored 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Danny Granger came off the bench to score 13 and George Hill added 10 for Indiana.
Eric Gordon finished with 21 points for the Pelicans after scoring 17 in the first half. Alexis Ajinca scored 17 points, reserve Tyreke Evans added 12 and Anthony Davis 10 for New Orleans.
Five different Pacers scored as Indiana went on a 14-0 run over a 4:12 span of the third quarter. The Pelicans, meanwhile, missed seven straight field goals.
NETS 89, CAVS 82
NEW YORK — Deron Williams scored 21 points for Brooklyn, and Paul Pierce added 17 while moving past Allen Iverson into 19th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.
Andray Blatche had 12 points in his return from a four-game absence as the Nets won their second straight for just their second winning streak of the season. They limited a Cleveland team playing without star guard Kyrie Irving to 37 percent shooting and matched their best defensive performance of the season.
Reggie Evans had eight points and 11 rebounds for the Nets while starting in place of Kevin Garnett, who was given a night to rest with the Nets beginning a stretch of five games in eight days.
Dion Waiters scored 26 points for the Cavaliers, who played without Irving for the second straight game because of his bruised left knee. They beat Orlando in overtime on Thursday but didn’t have nearly enough firepower in this one, losing for the seventh time in eight games.
BULLS 91, HAWKS 84
CHICAGO — Mike Dunleavy scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, leading Chicago to its fifth win in seven games.
Luol Deng added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, hitting two free throws with 8.8 seconds left to seal the win.
Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague scored 16 points apiece for the Hawks.
Atlanta’s Kyle Korver extended his NBA record of games with at least one made 3-pointer to 103 straight when he hit the first of his two 3s with 9:59 left in the first quarter. Korver finished with eight points.
Chicago forward Carlos Boozer missed the game with a sore right knee. An MRI came back negative and the team is hopeful it’s nothing serious.
SUNS 116, BUCKS 100
PHOENIX — Gerald Green had 24 points and a career-high five steals starting in place of the injured Eric Bledsoe, pushing Phoenix to the win.
Channing Frye added 22 points, going 6 of 9 on 3-pointers, Goran Dragic scored 13 of his 15 in the second half and Markieff Morris added 14 for the Suns, who have won 11 of 14 but were coming off a home loss to Memphis on Thursday.
Brandon Knight had 25 points for the Bucks and O.J. Mayo scored 18 of his 20 in the second half.
Milwaukee committed a season-worst 26 turnovers, resulting in 38 Suns points. Phoenix had 11 turnovers for just seven Bucks points.
Bledsoe missed his second game in a row with a sprained right knee and is expected to be out for another week.
