Durant dazzles for Thunder, Heat cruise past 76ers
2/4/2012
Source: Perform Sports
Kevin Durant dominated to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a win in the NBA on Friday, while the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers.
Durant scored 36 points, including the last seven of the game, to help his team to a 101-94 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in a replay of last season's Western Conference semi-final series.
James Harden (24 points) and Russell Westbrook (21) also contributed, while Marc Gasol top-scored for the Grizzlies with 24.
The Thunder are top of the Western Conference with 18 wins and four losses, while the Grizzlies are fourth in the Southwest Division.
Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade's 26 points guided the Miami Heat to a comfortable 99-79 win against the 76ers.
LeBron James scored 19 points and 12 rebounds, with the Heat outscoring their opposition 32-16 to cruise in a game that looked to be headed for a close finish.
The Indiana Pacers won in Dallas for the first time in eight years with Paul George scoring a career-high 30 points in their 98-87 win against NBA champions the Dallas Mavericks.
George hit seven three-pointers as the Pacers won their fourth straight game despite Dirk Nowitzki's 30 points.
Dwight Howard (19 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocked shots) was instrumental in the Orlando Magic's 102-94 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Anthony Morrow's 42 points were not enough for the New Jersey Nets, who suffered a 108-105 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Boston Celtics battled past the New York Knicks 91-89, with Paul Pierce's 30 points doing the damage, while Pau Gasol (13 points and 17 rebounds) helped the Los Angeles Lakers edge the Denver Nuggets 93-89.
The Detroit Pistons ended their run of seven matches without a win with a surprise 88-80 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
In other matches, the Washington Wizards slumped to another loss, a 106-89 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors, while the Houston Rockets had a 99-81 win over the Phoenix Suns.