Los Angeles: Kevin Durant scored 39 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference final with a 104-98 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in game six of their play-off series.
The Thunder rallied from a 16 point first-half deficit to tie the contest on the last play of the third quarter and then stepped it up in the fourth quarter to win the second round NBA series four games to two.
The league’s Most Valuable Player Durant also had 16 rebounds. Russell Westbrook struggled early but still managed 19 points and 12 assists for the Thunder who also had to overcome a large deficit to win game five.
Oklahoma City next faces the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, who eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
The Thunder won despite a slow start from Westbrook who didn’t notch his first points in the field until the third quarter.
Chris Paul finished with 25 points and 11 assists while Blake Griffin scored 22 points for the Clippers, who started strong but then saw their offence start to tail off at the end of the second quarter.
