National Basketball Association
Oklahoma City 111, Atlanta 104
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, March 4, 2011
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Officials:
#30 Tony Brown, #26 Bob Delaney, #59 Gary Zielinski
Attendance:
17916
By SportsDirect Inc.
Kevin Durant, whose status was doubtful because of a sprained ankle, scored 29 points and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 111-104 win over the host Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Durant, who leads the NBA in scoring with a 28.4 average, injured his left ankle Wednesday and didn't practice Thursday. Thunder coach Scott Brooks didn't expect his star to play, but his 40-minute court presence was bad news for the Hawks. Durant was 10-of-18 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and netted 18 points in the first half.
Joe Johnson led Atlanta (37-25) with 24 points. Kirk Hinrich, playing in his fourth game since being acquired from Washington, added 21.
Russell Westbrook scored 28 points, including a late 3-pointer to seal the win, while James Harden added 17 for Oklahoma City (38-22).
The Thunder hit eight consecutive shots over a five-minute stretch in the third quarter to turn a 65-63 lead into an 81-69 margin.
Trailing 94-81, the Hawks, who rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat Chicago on Wednesday, cut the lead to 102-100 with 1:27 to play on Marvin Williams' rebound basket. Westbrook's 3-pointer put the Thunder up by five with 1:12 remaining.
Second-leading scorer Josh Smith (16.7 ppg) missed his second straight game for the Hawks with a sprained right knee. Jamal Crawford scored 19 points for Atlanta, while Al Horford, who scored 31 and had 16 rebounds against the Bulls, contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Top Game Performances
Oklahoma City |
|
Atlanta |
Kevin Durant 29 |
Scoring |
Joe Johnson 24 |
Russell Westbrook 9 |
Assists |
Jamal Crawford 5 |
Kevin Durant 8 |
Rebounds |
Al Horford 12 |
Kevin Durant 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Jamal Crawford 7 |
Russell Westbrook 4 |
Steals |
Jamal Crawford 2 |
Nick Collison 1 |
Blocks |
Jamal Crawford 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Oklahoma City
|
111 |
50.6 |
7-18 |
20-21 |
21 |
36 |
3 |
8 |
10 |
Atlanta
|
104 |
47.6 |
6-17 |
20-25 |
23 |
38 |
4 |
7 |
16 |
Upcoming Games
-
Atlanta will play their next game at home against New York. The Hawks have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Oklahoma City will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Thunder have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.