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Durant gets 31, Thunder beat Grizzlies

Feb 4, 2014 - 5:59 AM Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant began a new scoring streak and helped the Oklahoma City Thunder get back in the win column.

Durant had 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and the Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 86-77 on Monday night.

Durant scored 26 points in his last two games after registering at least 30 in 12 straight outings. He finished 11-of-21 from the floor for the Thunder, who had their 10-game winning streak snapped Saturday at Washington.

Serge Ibaka added 21 points and 12 boards in the win.

"I thought we did a good job of playing tough defensive basketball. Sometimes you have to play different styles to get a win," Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said.

Zach Randolph netted 13 points to go with 13 rebounds for Memphis, which had its six-game winning streak halted.

Grizzlies point guard and leading scorer Mike Conley missed his second straight game due to an ankle sprain.

Memphis trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, but whittled the deficit to 74-71 a little before the midway point of the fourth quarter when Mike Miller nailed a 3-pointer and sunk a pair of free throws on consecutive trips down the floor.

OKC, though, countered with a 9-2 spurt a few minutes later to put the game away.

Durant hit a jumper, Thabo Sefolosha knocked down a left wing 3 and Durant's steal and coast-to-coast layup got him to 31 points, capping the swing and extending the margin to 85-75 with 2:54 to go.

Earlier, the Thunder led 20-18 after the first quarter and began to pull away during the latter stages of the first half.

James Johnson's putback dunk gave the Grizzlies a 32-31 edge midway through the second, but OKC answered with a 20-2 run. Durant, who had 10 points during the surge, capped it with the final six points, including a pair of driving layups to help the Thunder open up a 51-34 advantage. OKC led 51-36 at the break.

"The second half was much better than the first. We played from too far behind," Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger said. "It was very difficult for us because when you try to come back you have a very small margin for error."

Game Notes

OKC has won seven straight home games ... Memphis still has won eight of its last 12 against the Thunder, including the postseason ... OKC outrebounded Memphis 44-35.