Philadelphia: Kevin Durant picked up right where he left off on Saturday, scoring 32 points in a triple-double to lead Oklahoma City to a 103-91 NBA win over Philadelphia.
Durant, back on court after skipping Friday’s win over Boston to rest his sore shoulder, became the sixth player since 1990 to score 30 or more points in 10 straight games.
He notched the fifth triple-double of his career and his second this season, adding 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
Durant, who connected on 12 of 17 shots from the field and made all seven of his free-throws, is averaging 38.7 points on 59.6 percent shooting over his last seven games.
“I thought we did a pretty good job on him [Durant],” said Sixers head coach Brett Brown. “He’s so long and scores in just a variety of ways.”
The contest was tied after one quarter, but the Thunder had a 53-44 lead at half-time. Durant contributed 11 of the Thunder’s 27 second-period points.
Philadelphia trimmed the deficit to 69-65 midway through the third quarter, but Oklahoma City soon rebuilt a double-digit cushion and led comfortably through the fourth quarter.
Elsewhere, Jamal Crawford’s 37 points helped the Los Angeles Clippers withstand a 51-point barrage by Toronto’s Terrence Ross on Saturday in a 126-118 win over the Raptors.
Crawford also handed out 11 assists as the Clippers spoiled Ross’s career night.
“Our team, before the game I asked the guys who were the shooters on their team, and they said ‘Everybody but Ross,’” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
“I said ‘Guys, that’s what he does. You think he’s just a dunker, he’s really a shooter.’
“He was great, but we won the game and that’s all we came here for. When you can absorb a 50 [point performance] and win a game it says a lot about your team, it really does.”
Second-year guard Ross tied Vince Carter’s Raptors team single-game scoring record, set in February of 2000, and improved on his own previous career high of 26 points, against Portland in January of last year.
Ross made 10 of 17 three-point attempts, setting a franchise record for three-pointers in a half by making seven in the first half.
He scored 28 points in the second half after teammate DeMar DeRozan was taken off with a sprained left foot.
Blake Griffin scored 30 points, J.J. Redick added 18 and Darren Collison added 12 for the Clippers, who have won two in a row despite the absence of point guard Chris Paul, who remains sidelined by a separated left shoulder.
