National Basketball Association
Oklahoma City 102, Cleveland 95
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 20, 2014
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials:
#45 Brian Forte, #46 Ben Taylor, #23 Jason Phillips
Attendance:
18246
By SportsDirect Inc.
Thunder 102, Cavaliers 95: Kevin Durant poured in 35 points as Oklahoma City fended off host Cleveland despite playing without Russell Westbrook.
Durant shot 12-of-21 from the floor and scored 25 or more points for the 33rd consecutive game while adding 11 rebounds and six assists for the Thunder, who nearly squandered a 24-point fourth-quarter lead. Serge Ibaka added 16 points, 11 boards and three blocked shots while Reggie Jackson contributed 13 points.
Dion Waiters tied a season high with 30 points for the Cavaliers, who have dropped three in a row and seven of nine. Spencer Hawes added 20 while Matthew Dellavedova added 11 to go along with a career-best 10 assists.
The Thunder enjoyed a 10-point lead at the half but found another gear in the third quarter, hitting seven straight shots over a span of nearly four minutes - highlighted by Durant and Jackson 3-pointers - to turn a 61-50 advantage into a 77-61 bulge. The lead grew to as many as 24 on a Caron Butler 3-pointer with 6:33 remaining, and the Thunder held on despite Cleveland going on a 12-0 run and closing to within five on a Waiters layup with 1:12 left.
Durant was a one-man show in the first half, erupting for 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting to help the Thunder go into the break with a 56-46 advantage. Hawes and Waiters had 10 points apiece for the Cavaliers.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Westbrook missed the game to rest with the Thunder playing again in Toronto on Friday. Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has said Westbrook would not play both ends of a back-to-back for the rest of the season. ... The Cavaliers were without starting PG Kyrie Irving (biceps strain) and SF Luol Deng (ankle) as well as G C.J. Miles (ankle). ... Oklahoma City finished with a 53-36 rebounding advantage.
Top Game Performances
Oklahoma City |
|
Cleveland |
Kevin Durant 35 |
Scoring |
Dion Waiters 30 |
Kevin Durant 6 |
Assists |
Matthew Dellavedova 10 |
Kevin Durant 11 |
Rebounds |
Tristan Thompson 10 |
Kevin Durant 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Dion Waiters 6 |
Derek Fisher 4 |
Steals |
Dion Waiters 3 |
Serge Ibaka 3 |
Blocks |
N/A |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Oklahoma City
|
102 |
42.7 |
10-31 |
16-20 |
21 |
53 |
7 |
8 |
18 |
Cleveland
|
95 |
44.4 |
8-22 |
15-24 |
27 |
36 |
0 |
9 |
12 |
Upcoming Games
-
Cleveland will play their next game at home against Houston. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Oklahoma City will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Thunder have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.