• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Thunder spoil Griffin's return to OKC

Feb 23, 2011 - 6:04 AM Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Jeff Green scored 22 points, Kevin Durant had 21 and the Thunder spoiled Blake Griffin's pro debut in Oklahoma City with a 111-88 victory over the Clippers.

Griffin, three days after jumping over a car to win the dunk contest, played in his hometown for the first time since leaving after two years at Oklahoma and led Los Angeles with 28 points and 11 rebounds.

But the Clippers continued a slide that began before the All-Star break, falling to 2-7 on a 10-game road trip and losing for the first time in four all-time trips to Oklahoma City.

The Thunder, meanwhile, moved to 6-2 in their last eight games after leading by as many as 26 points in this one.

Griffin, a prep star at Oklahoma Christian School and national player of the year for the Sooners, shot 9-of-15 from the field and was two assists shy of a triple-double.

The Rookie of the Year favorite scored 12 of his 28 points in the first quarter, helping the Clippers to a 23-23 tie heading into the second.

But Griffin scored just three more points before halftime as Oklahoma City took control of the game with a big run before the break.

"I'm definitely a little tired. It's been a long five or six days," said Griffin.

Starting center Nenad Krstic scored all five of his points during an 18-2 run that snapped a tie and gave the Thunder a 62-46 halftime lead. Durant and Green added four points apiece in the burst and Daequan Cook capped it with a three-pointer.

The Thunder's lead dipped below 10 points just once in the second half -- it was at nine late in the third quarter. But they carried a 78-67 edge into the fourth and opened the period with a 10-0 burst to pull away.

'We had a good win, something we can build on," said Durant.

The Clippers will visit New Orleans on Wednesday and will also be the road team for an 11th straight game when they return to LA top play the Lakers on Friday -- ending a trip that began three weeks ago.

Before Tuesday, the Clippers -- never known for their strong play on the road -- were one of only two teams that were unbeaten in Oklahoma City. Now, 3-0 Boston remains as the only undefeated visitor since the team moved from Seattle before the 2008-09 season.

Game Notes

The Thunder are headed on the road to play in San Antonio and Orlando on Wednesday and Friday...Eric Bledsoe scored 13 points for the Clippers while Randy Foye and Al-Farouq Aminu had 12 apiece...James Harden scored 19 off the bench for Oklahoma City.