Final
Durant powers Thunder past Cavs
Mar 21, 2014 - 4:55 AM Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant had 35 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-95, on Thursday night.Serge Ibaka supplied 16 points and 11 boards, while Reggie Jackson added 13 points and six assists for the Thunder, who have won four of their last five games.
"My shot was a little flat and I missed some easy ones," said Durant. "I just tried to play as hard as I can on defense and make winning basketball plays."
Star Thunder guard Russell Westbrook did not suit up to rest his surgically- repaired knee.
Dion Waiters netted 30 points to lead Cleveland, which has dropped three in a row and seven of its last nine.
Cleveland trailed by as many as 21 in the fourth quarter before Waiters capped a 16-2 run with a layup to bring the Cavs to within 97-92 with 1:12 to go.
Jackson missed a turnaround at the other end, but Ibaka came down with the offensive rebound and Durant sank two free throws to extend the margin back to 99-92 with 37.6 ticks on the clock. Waiters then missed a layup and Durant hit two more foul shots to seal the outcome.
Earlier, the Cavaliers led 25-21 after a quarter of play and got within 45-44 with 2:38 to go until the break after Waiters knocked down a turnaround jumper, but OKC closed the half on an 11-2 run.
Durant nailed a jumper right at the first-half buzzer to give the Thunder a 56-46 spread going into the locker room. Durant hit a triple to begin the third and a Steven Adams dunk gave OKC a 61-46 lead early in the second half, its largest to that point.
"He shoots right over the top of the defense," Cleveland head coach Mike Brown said about Durant.
The Thunder took an 85-68 advantage into the fourth.
Game Notes
OKC shot 42.7 percent (38-of-89) from the floor and outrebounded Cleveland, 53-36 ... The Cavaliers scored 24 points off 18 Thunder turnovers ... Spencer Hawes had 20 points for Cleveland.
Mar 20 9:34 PM- OKLAHOMA CITY: 85
CLEVELAND: 68
End of 3rd
Mar 20 8:53 PM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 56
CLEVELAND: 46
Halftime
Mar 20 8:10 PM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 21
CLEVELAND: 25
End of 1st
Mar 20 7:42 PM - OKLAHOMA CITY: 0
CLEVELAND: 0
1st Quarter - 11:39
Mar 20 7:12 PM
Related News
- The Oklahoma City Thunder Have Arrived Jan 3
- LeBron James Has Been At His Best for Many Birthdays Dec 29
- The Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama Rivalry Has Started Early Dec 28
- Cavs beat Bulls 109-95 Dec 23
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls gamethread Dec 23
- Cavs down to 10 healthy players vs. Bulls Dec 23
- Watch the Market: Cavaliers vs. Pelicans Dec 22
- Shorthanded Cavs routed by Pelicans 123-104 Dec 21
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Orleans Pelicans gamethread Dec 21
- Cleveland Cavaliers defeat Utah Jazz 124-116 Dec 20
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz gamethread Dec 20
- What to watch for in Cavaliers vs. Jazz Dec 20