The Korea Herald

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Durant scores 38 as Thunder roll

By Korea Herald

Published : Nov. 19, 2013 - 19:14

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ― Kevin Durant scored 38 points, Russell Westbrook had 30 points and 12 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to beat the Denver Nuggets 115-113 on Monday night.

Westbrook also had seven assists in a terrific all-around game that helped Oklahoma City erase a 14-point deficit in the second half. Reggie Jackson added 14 points.

With the score tied at 105, Serge Ibaka pulled down an offensive rebound and found Durant for a 3-pointer that put Oklahoma City (7-3) ahead to stay. Jeremy Lamb and Derek Fisher each hit a pair of free throws in the final 14 seconds to help the Thunder hold on.

Ty Lawson led Denver (4-6) with 29 points and eight assists. J.J. Hickson had 18 points and 19 rebounds

The Nuggets led the entire game except for the first 18 seconds of the first quarter and the final 1:26 of the fourth.

First-year Denver coach Brian Shaw said his team’s outside shooting had been a sore spot coming into the game, but the Nuggets connected on four of their first seven 3-point attempts. Denver shot 59 percent from the field while grabbing a 39-28 lead after the first quarter.

Oklahoma City then began the second quarter with a 10-2 run, but reserve Nate Robinson gave the Nuggets a lift with eight points that helped them to a 13-point lead.

After hitting just one of his first seven shots, Westbrook scored eight points in the second. Westbrook’s 25-footer with a second remaining in the half cut Denver’s lead to three.

Denver increased its lead to 14 in the third quarter but watched it evaporate as Oklahoma City rallied for its second straight win.

Bulls win fifth straight

CHICAGO (AP) ― Luol Deng scored 21 points and the Chicago Bulls overcame a rough shooting night to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 86-81 on Monday for their fifth straight win.

Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, which is on its longest winning streak since taking eight in a row from Feb. 20-March 7, 2012. Jimmy Butler had 14 points and Derrick Rose finished with 12.

Deng’s 3-pointer with 27.1 seconds remaining gave the Bulls an 85-81 lead. Gerald Henderson then missed for the Bobcats, and Rose had a free throw to help Chicago wrap it up.

Rose, who hit a career-high six 3-pointers in the Bulls’ 110-94 win Saturday over Indiana, went 4 for 13 from the field. The Bulls shot 27 of 75 (36 percent) overall.

The 2011 NBA MVP played 31 minutes in his second game back after missing Chicago’s win at Toronto on Friday with a sore right hamstring.

Butler missed part of the game with a right toe injury but came back with 6:35 left in the fourth.

Charlotte was looking for its fourth consecutive road victory and third in four games overall, but it was unable to take advantage of the Bulls’ poor shooting. Once again, the Bobcats struggled from the floor despite a strong effort in the paint.

The Bobcats were shooting a league-worst 40.2 percent from the field coming into the day, and they were 28th from 3-point range at 29.3 percent. On Monday, they shot 36.3 percent as a team.

Playing without injured center Al Jefferson, the Bobcats outscored the Bulls 38-28 in the paint.

Blazers surge past Nets

NEW YORK (AP) ― LaMarcus Aldridge was stunned, suddenly finding himself matched against a version of Kevin Garnett that hadn’t been seen yet in Brooklyn.

“I think he had one of those flashbacks to when he was in Minnesota and I was coming in as a rookie,” Aldridge said.

Just as quickly, the old Garnett reverted to just old, and the young Portland Trail Blazers ran right by the Brooklyn Nets.

Aldridge scored 27 points, Wesley Matthews added 24 and Portland shot 54 percent in a 108-98 victory Monday night that extended its winning streak to seven.

“This team is good. Guys can get going,” Aldridge said.

Damian Lillard finished with 19 points and nine assists as the Trail Blazers withstood the Nets’ blistering start to win seven in a row in the same season for the first time since a 13-game run in December 2007.

Portland (9-2) is just a half-game behind San Antonio and Indiana for the NBA’s best record. The Blazers will try to complete a perfect 4-0 road trip Wednesday at Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, the Nets (3-7) remain one of the NBA’s biggest disappointments, shooting 9 of 41 (22 percent) in the second half. Garnett made all six shots in Brooklyn’s 40-point first period, then went 2 for 13 from there to finish with a season-high 16 points.

Dallas 97, Philadelphia 94

Golden State 98, Utah 87

Memphis 106, LA Clippers 102