Dennis Schroder scores 18 in 4th to rally Thunder past Magic

ORLANDO, Florida — It’s difficult for anyone on the Oklahoma City Thunder roster to steal the spotlight from Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

Dennis Schroder managed to do it during a 126-117 comeback win over the Orlando Magic.


“Obviously, Dennis played an incredible second half in every aspect — defensively, offensively — and gave us great separation,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.

George scored 31 of his 37 points in the first half and Westbrook had his fourth straight triple-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists, but Schroder’s five-minute run in the fourth quarter pushed Oklahoma City to its sixth straight victory Tuesday night.

The backup point guard scored 18 of his 21 points — including two 3-pointers and a pair of three-point plays — in a stretch when he hit seven consecutive shots. He outscored Orlando 18-8 by himself during that spurt, helping the Thunder rally from a five-point deficit to a 13-point lead in the process.

“I do the same every night,” Schroder insisted. “I try to stay aggressive, look for my shot, look for open teammates and just make the right play. It’s not like I’m out there 48 minutes, but it’s working out so far.”

The Thunder needed a boost after George cooled off considerably in the second half. He was 11 of 16 in the first two quarters, but only 3 of 8 after halftime.

“When you can do that, play with such unselfishness, it opens up things for everybody,” Donovan said.

Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Evan Fournier had 17 points and Aaron Gordon added 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Terrence Ross scored 16 off the bench.

It was another familiar ending for the Magic, who have lost four straight and seven of eight. They had their chances, rallying from a 15-point third-quarter deficit to lead by five early in the fourth, but couldn’t sustain the comeback.

“We lost No. 1 because (Oklahoma City) is good and played well,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “But when you’re not going to run back on every single possession — which takes no talent, by the way — they’re going to make you pay and they made us pay.

“No. 2, we’re fouling them in the backcourt when they’re in the bonus. It’s crazy. It’s stupid, losing basketball. And then we decide in the fourth quarter, we’re not going to pass the ball to each other. We’ve got guys dribbling out the shot clock when you’ve got to move the ball. You’re not going to win doing that.”

The Thunder squandered a 15-point lead in the third and were down 101-98 in the fourth before Schroder righted the ship. He had a three-point play, a 3-pointer and a 15-foot jumper as Oklahoma City scored 10 straight points to take a 108-101 lead. He added another three-point play and 3-pointer to make it 116-103.

Ross knocked down consecutive 3s to help Orlando cut the deficit to 116-111 with four minutes to play, but that was as close as the Magic got.

TIP-INS

Thunder: George has at least two 3s in 29 straight games. Stephen Curry and James Harden are the only other players in NBA history to do that. … C Steven Adams sat out with a sore ankle.

Magic: Gordon had eight points in the first two minutes, then missed his last six shots of the half. … Orlando has lost four straight home games and is 12-15 at home. … Jerian Grant played against his brother, Thunder forward Jerami Grant. Their father, Harvey Grant, had an 11-year NBA career. Jerami outscored Jerian 18-5.

UP NEXT

Thunder: Continue their three-game road trip Friday at Miami.

Magic: Continue their three-game homestand Thursday against Indiana.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Paul George staying with OKC Thunder

A person familiar with the situation says Paul George is staying with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal’s terms have not been announced.

George averaged 21.9 points for the Thunder last season.


ESPN first reported George’s decision.

The move, which can become official on Friday, further validates Oklahoma City’s decision to send a package —including Most Improved Player Victor Oladipo— to Indiana last year for George, who clearly enjoyed playing with Russell Westbrook with the Thunder.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Sources: Thunder’s Anthony to opt in, take $28 million

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony plans to opt in and take the $28 million he is due next season.

The New York Times first reported the 34-year-old Anthony’s decision to bypass the chance to become a free agent. A person with knowledge of details confirmed Anthony’s choice to The Associated Press on Friday night. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.

The Thunder traded for Anthony and Paul George to join Russell Westbrook before last season, moves that gave them high hopes of challenging Golden State in the West. It didn’t work out as planned.


The 34-year-old Anthony had been the headliner his entire career — he’s 19th in NBA history with 25,417 points — but he was more of a catch-and-shoot scorer last season instead of the isolation specialist he had always been. He averaged 16.2 points per game, but struggled at times in his new role. His playing time dwindled in the playoffs and he wasn’t happy. In Game 6 of the first-round playoff series against Utah that ended Oklahoma City’s season, he played fewer minutes than backup Jerami Grant.

It wasn’t entirely clear if Anthony would opt in. After the season, he said he prefers to play with the ball in his hands more and said coming off the bench is “out of the question.”

“So it’s something I really have to think about, if I really want to be this type of player, finish out my career as this type of player, knowing that I have so much left in the tank and I bring so much to the game of basketball,” he said.

Despite his confidence, the 10-time All-Star posted career lows in scoring average and field goal percentage last season. Thunder general manager Sam Presti said at the end of the season that he doesn’t expect Anthony’s role to change.

“I give him an enormous amount of credit for the fact that he put both feet in,” Presti said. “I personally think he did an excellent job in his first year transitioning his game, working to becoming more of an off-the-ballplayer, being more reliant on other people to generate his offense, and sacrificing a lot. At the same time, I think every player is entitled to take a step back after the season, reflect on the year they had, and in his case have to make a determination about whether or not this is a role that he wants to continue to be functioning in.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Paul George undergoes arthroscopic surgery on left knee

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George has had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

The procedure was performed Wednesday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

George is expected to returning to normal offseason activities in six to eight weeks. He averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.04 steals and 36.6 minutes in 79 games this season, his first with the Thunder.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Westbrook’s 3-pointer lifts Thunder past Hawks

OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook hit a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left to cap a 30-point, 15-assist outing, and the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the Atlanta Hawks 120-117 on Friday (Saturday Manila time).

Carmelo Anthony added 24 points on 7-of-12 3-point shooting and Paul George scored 17 for the Thunder, who have won five of their last six after an 11-14 start.

Atlanta, in last place in the Southeast Division, made Oklahoma City work for this one, rallying after falling behind by 16 points in the first half.

The Hawks led 92-88 with 8:49 left after a basket by Kent Bazemore. Westbrook re-entered the game and led the Thunder on a 16-5 run. Anthony’s 3-pointer with 5:34 left gave Oklahoma City a 104-97 lead.

The Hawks came back again, eventually tying the game at 117 on two free throws by Ersan Ilyasova with 11.1 seconds left. After a timeout, George inbounded to Westbrook, who made the final shot over Atlanta’s Taurean Prince. Without a timeout, the Hawks could manage only a desperation heave at the buzzer.

Marco Belinelli scored 30 points to lead Atlanta, which is 2-7 against Western Conference teams this season. Ilyasova added 22 points for the Hawks, who went 15 of 32 from 3-point range.

The Thunder dominated the second quarter. They broke a 28-28 tie with a 14-2 run to start the quarter, with Raymond Felton and George each hitting two 3-pointers. After the Hawks pulled within 51-43, Oklahoma City went on a 13-5 run and led 64-50 at halftime.

Atlanta scored 11 straight points to cut the Thunder lead to 74-70 midway through the third quarter.

Oklahoma City made only 19 of 31 free throws.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Anthony’s flagrant foul stands, NBA rescinds Westbrook’s

NEW YORK — The NBA said Wednesday that Carmelo Anthony’s flagrant 2 foul will stand, but rescinded the flagrant issued to Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City’s last game.

The league also fined Westbrook, Paul George and coach Billy Donovan $15,000 apiece for their criticisms of the officials after the call against Anthony on Sunday.

Both were unusual plays in that flagrant fouls are usually called against defensive players. Instead, Anthony and Westbrook were whistled for contact they created while attempting shots.

Anthony drove to the basket and elbowed center Jusuf Nurkic in the face on a shot that went in during the Thunder’s loss in Portland on Sunday. The basket was overturned after review and Anthony was hit with the automatic ejection.

Crew chief Rodney Mott said after the game that referees ruled the contact was excessive and not a natural basketball move and the league agreed.

“We reviewed it, the same as we review all plays of this nature, and agree with the on-court officials that the foul met the criteria of hard contact above the shoulders with high potential for injury,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said. “While attempting to draw a foul, Anthony extended his elbow into his opponent’s face, which is dangerous and reckless in nature.”

Westbrook was attempting a jump shot Tuesday against Sacramento when he and defender Bogdan Bogdanovic collided. Westbrook was issued a flagrant 1 foul, but that was downgraded.

“After review, we determined that the contact was part of Russell’s downward shooting motion and the defender was moving forward into his shooting space,” Frank said.

A flagrant 1 is considered unnecessary contact. The flagrant 2 is deemed unnecessary and excessive — and a foul doesn’t have to be considered intentional to be determined dangerous. The league reviews all flagrants and can upgrade, rescind or leave them as called on the floor. If a player exceeds five flagrant foul points during the season, he will be suspended for the next game.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Irving’s big 2nd half leads Celtics past Thunder 101-94

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kyrie Irving scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half and the Boston Celtics rallied from 18 down to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-94 on Friday night for their seventh straight victory.

Al Horford scored 17 of his 20 points after halftime and Jaylen Brown added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics. Boston has allowed 94 or fewer points in every game during its winning streak.

Paul George had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook added 19 points and 11 assists for the Thunder. Carmelo Anthony had 10 points and 14 rebounds but shot just 3 of 17.

In a play that seemingly summarized the first half, Irving drove hard to the hoop in the closing seconds of the second quarter and went for a layup before Andre Roberson emphatically swatted it to the ground as time expired with the Thunder leading 55-37. Irving was 1 of 9 from the field before the break.

Boston chipped away at Oklahoma City’s lead throughout the third quarter and cut it to a point. Irving had nine points in the period to help the Celtics shave their deficit to 71-67.

A 3-pointer by Semi Ojeleye with just under six minutes to play tied it at 79, and a 3-pointer by Horford put the Celtics ahead 82-79.

Irving made a 3 and was fouled by Westbrook. Irving missed the free throw, but came up with the rebound and made a layup to put the Celtics up 87-81 with 4:13 to play. Irving’s layup with 14.6 seconds remaining gave Boston a five-point lead.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Ex-teammate Kanter on Durant’s Twitter comments: ‘It’s just really sad’

Reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant recently owned up to his recent comments regarding his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, admitting it was “childish and idiotic.”

The Golden State Warriors forward was caught red-handed using an alternate Twitter account to answer a negative comment made by a netizen about him, but failed miserably as he accidentally replied using his own verified handle.

Despite the public apology, his former teammate Enes Kanter couldn’t help but chastise the NBA superstar.

“Well, I’m not angry. It’s just really sad,” the 25-year-old Turkish center said of Durant’s comments.

“I remember when he was here – I played with him one-and-a-half years – and when he was here, this organization and these fans, this whole state, gave him everything he asked for, everything he wanted,” he explained to CBS Sports Radio’s Andrew Bogusch, as relayed by The Score.

“The cooks, the chefs, the massage therapists, the coaches, players – everything – just (to make) sure he is okay and getting what he wanted to get.”

Durant also claimed that with the exemption of Russell Westbrook, his former OKC squad mates  were not talented enough to win an NBA title.

Despite the stinging words, Kanter took more offense on Durant’s critical comments on coach Billy Donovan.

“What he said about Billy Donovan, I don’t know if anyone made the conference finals in his first year in the NBA,” Kanter said. “Billy Donovan, of course he’s pretty new in the NBA, but I feel like he’s done an amazing job. There’s coaches in the NBA that have not made the playoffs yet, and they’ve been in the league for 10, 15 years, but he made the playoffs in his first two years, and I think he’s done a good job.”

Although Kanter does not deny Durant’s supreme talent, he claims that a player of his stature shouldn’t try to please everybody and pay attention to critics.

“You just won a championship. You were the Finals MVP,” he said of KD. “I understand interacting with fans, but having a fake account and just answering back and trying to have a conversation with them and stuff, come on, man. If you’re Kevin Durant, you don’t do that. He is one of the top five players in the league. Come on, man. Just go do your thing.”

The outspoken Kanter added: “Play basketball and try to be the best. When he’s doing all these little things to all those people who sit on their laptop and just writing comments – they got no life. Come on, man. You don’t do that.”  Khristian Ibarrola /ra

source: sports.inquirer.net

WATCH: Taylor Swift breaks silence to congratulate NBA MVP Russell Westbrook

Taylor Swift has been on a social media hiatus, only tweeting to promote songs, or to speak up on the Manchester tragedy.

Another momentous event warranted her social media presence: NBA player Russell Westbrook being awarded this season’s MVP.

In a video shared on the Thunder’s Twitter account, Swift reminded the Oklahoma City player that they had each other to thank for their careers.

“I was the one who taught you to dribble, to shoot hoops, you know,” says the pop singer, sporting wavy locks instead of her short bob.

The All-Star player also apparently inspired one of her songs: “I remember the first time you beat me, and I was very upset.”

“You said, ‘You just have to shake it off,’ and I got an idea,” she says, referring to her hit song “Shake It Off”.

Finally the Grammy award-winning artist admits, “That’s a fake story, but I wish it were the truth.”

She proceeds to congratulate him and sends a virtual hug.

Watch the video here:


No clue yet on when Swift will return to social media, but Westbrook can count the video as another achievement—only few can say that Taylor Swift made them a personal video, even if they’ve never met. JB

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Thunder survive Rockets, claw back in series

LOS ANGELES—Russell Westbrook’s latest triple-double translated to a 115-113 victory for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday (Saturday, Manila) as they clawed back in their NBA playoff series against the Houston Rockets.

The Thunder narrowed the gap in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series to 2-1 — but it was a close-run thing.

Westbrook, who notched a record 42 regular-season triple-doubles and had 51 points in a triple-double in the Thunder’s game-two defeat on Wednesday, finished Friday with 32 points, 11 assists and 13 rebounds.

But his second missed free throw of the closing seconds kept the door open for the Rockets, whose star James Harden was off-target with a three-pointer at the buzzer as the Thunder escaped with the win.

Harden had hit a three-pointer with 52 seconds remaining that knotted the score at 111-111.

Westbrook responded with his first three-point attempt of the game.

It rattled off the rim, but teammate Steven Adams managed to put it back for two points and the lead.

The teams then traded free-throw attempts until Harden’s final effort.

Westbrook had his triple-double by the end of the third quarter.

He became the first player with back-to-back triple-doubles in the same playoff series since Jason Kidd in the 2002 Eastern Conference finals.

Harden finished with 44 points, including four three-pointers.

The Thunder, determined not to fall into an 0-3 hole in the series, were quick out of the blocks. But the Rockets managed to respond, cutting a 15-point deficit early in the second quarter to five in the final seconds of the half.

Houston took their first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Harden less than two minutes into the second half.

But the Thunder wrested back the advantage and led 93-83 going into the final period.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Westbrook secures triple-double average, falls short of 42nd

PHOENIX — Russell Westbrook joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season.

That didn’t make him feel much better about his or his team’s awful Friday night, when Westbrook failed for the second game in a row to break Robertson’s 55-year-old, single-season record for most triple-doubles.

The dynamic Thunder guard fell two assists shy of what would have been his 42nd in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 120-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Of averaging a triple-double for the season, Westbrook said, “You could never say in a million years that I would think that was even possible.”

And as for not getting 10 assists?

“My main goal since I got here, especially this season, is to win a championship,” Westbrook said. “If I wanted to get 10 assists, I could get 10 assists. Everybody wants to see the record broke, but it’s bigger than that for our team and for me.”

On a rough night all around, Westbrook had 23 points (on 6-of-25 shooting, 2 of 12 3-pointers), 12 rebounds and eight assists, along with eight turnovers before coach Billy Donovan pulled him with 2:34 to play.

Devin Booker scored 21 of the Suns’ 25 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 37 as Phoenix snapped a 13-game losing streak.

“From the start of the game, Russ was chasing history,” Booker said. “… Unbelievable player. I’m sure he’s going to get it. I’m happy it wasn’t here but we locked in defensively.”

Westbrook did get the six assists he needed to assure that he’d join Robertson as the only players to average a triple-double for a season — breaching double figures for all three categories. Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists for the Cincinnati Royals in the 1961-62 season.

After the game, Westbrook went straight to the practice court and stayed there for nearly an hour.

“Get your mind right,” he explained. “You understand how important a game is and you want to make sure I’m playing the best that I need to play for my teammates. Tonight I felt like I let them down.”

Westbrook stayed in the game long after the outcome seemed certain. Donovan said he hadn’t given up on being able to win the game.

“No, I wasn’t trying for the triple-double,” the coach said. “I’ve seen enough miraculous things this year — at Dallas and Orlando — and I thought about taking him out at the stoppage of play around 3:40, 3:45. I just said, you know what, he gets hot around the 3-point line, we make a couple of shots. … I just wanted to give our team every opportunity.”

Westbrook had probably his worst shooting first half of the season and his teammates didn’t show much interest in the contest as the Suns opened a 28-point lead.

He missed his first 11 shots before sinking a 17-footer with 50.4 seconds left in the half. He followed that quickly with a three-point play on an acrobatic drive to the basket.

But his halftime stats were ugly: 2-for-13 shooting, 0 for 4 on 3s, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 turnovers.

Phoenix, meanwhile, shot 61 percent in the first half, led by Warren’s 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, to Oklahoma City’s 39 percent and led 71-48 at the half.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Westbrook climbs ladder with 60th career triple-double

LOS ANGELES, United States — Russell Westbrook notched the 60th triple-double of his career in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 114-105 victory over New Orleans on Wednesday to pass Larry Bird forth fifth place on the all-time list.

Westbrook posted 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to fuel the Thunder with his 23rd triple-double of the season and his second in three victories over the Pelicans this season.

Despite Westbrook’s effort — and another early injury exit for Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis — New Orleans challenged until the end.

Oklahoma City led by 22 points in the second half but withstood a 9-0 Pelicans scoring run in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to 105-100 with 5:33 remaining.

Davis reinjured his right thigh late in the second quarter and finished with eight points and five rebounds.

Guard E’Twaun Moore paced the Pelicans with 18 points. CBB

source: sports.inquirer.net

Klay Thompson’s dad ate burgers, watched WWE Raw during Game 7

There are things in life that dads pull off perfectly, like dropping puntastic jokes and walking around the house with a majestic beer gut.

Klay Thompson’s dad Mychal, though, may have done a move so epically dad-like it deserves a plaque, or maybe a burger.

When the Golden State Warriors completed their comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Mychal wasn’t at Oracle Arena and he wasn’t even watching the game.

Golden State was down 3-1 in the series and had its 73-win season in jeopardy before winning the next three games to set up another championship series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mychal talked with ESPN Radio’s Thompson & Trudel, as per CBS Sports.com, and the former no. 1 overall pick said he did not watch the game that gave his son another trip to the NBA Finals and instead bought some burgers and watched some wrestling.

“I went to In-N-Out to grab a burger and I couldn’t eat it, so I had to let it sit there for three hours,” said Thompson. “I was too nervous.”

He couldn’t concentrate on watching oversized men in baggy shorts chase a ball around, so he changed the channel to watch WWE Raw to watch oversized men in tights hit and slam each other to the mat.

Mychal said he recorded the game and put his phone face down to avoid seeing texts or notifications about Klay’s game.

“I was watching wrestling, knowing that the game was going on,” said Thompson. “So that was to take my mind off of the game a little bit.”

A few moments after the buzzer sounded, Mychal’s wife Jus called him, just before he could open the NBA app to let him know their son Klay just won.

“As soon as I answered, I went, ‘Hello,’ and she says, ‘Well, are you happy?'” Thompson said. “And when she said that, I went, ‘Oh, thank God.’ And then she said, ‘Mychal, there’s something seriously wrong with you.'”

Klay may be one of the best shooters of the game right now, but he’s still vulnerable to his dad’s shenanigans.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Curry, Warriors notch 41st win, slip past Thunder

OAKLAND, California — With a Super Bowl-sized stage, a celebrity-filled crowd and two championship contenders on the floor, it felt more like late May in Oracle Arena than early February.

Stephen Curry was up to the task.

Curry scored 26 points and keyed a strong closing stretch that sent the Golden State Warriors to their 41st straight regular-season home win, 116-108 over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

“This was very playoff-like for sure,” Curry said. “The atmosphere, just the intensity, the adrenaline down the stretch. That’s what you expect for sure. It was good to get that feeling and execute.”

Curry scored three baskets and assisted on two more in a closing 12-4 run that gave the Warriors (46-4) their ninth straight win to match the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers for the best record ever after 50 games. Golden State moved within three wins of tying the Chicago Bulls (1995-96) for the longest home winning streak in NBA history.

Harrison Barnes added 19 points and Klay Thompson scored 18 for Golden State.

Kevin Durant had 40 points and 14 rebounds and Russell Westbrook added 27 points and 12 assists for the Thunder, who had won five straight and 12 of 13 but still trail Golden State and San Antonio in the Western Conference.

“Man, we’re not scared of either one of these teams,” Durant said. “We’re going to play our game. Nobody in this locker room is scared. We have to play them. If we want to get to where we want to get to, we have to play them. We’re not ducking anybody.”

One day before he plans to watch good friend Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers take on Denver in the Super Bowl at nearby Levi’s Stadium, Curry helped the Warriors break out to a 20-point lead in the second quarter despite making just one 3-pointer on the night.

The defending-champion Warriors have beaten the three teams directly behind them in the standings during this current streak. After blowing out San Antonio and Cleveland by a combined 64 points, Golden State was tested against Oklahoma City.

The Thunder hung tough after facing the big deficit in the first quarter and cut the lead down to 99-95 on a 3-pointer by Durant midway through the fourth quarter. Enes Kanter then tied the game at 104 with a fall-away jumper.

“That’s what we’re supposed to do,” Durant said. “When we get down we’re supposed to tie the game up. No moral victories in here.”

But Durant missed a long trey a short while later that could have given Oklahoma City its first lead since the first quarter.

Curry responded with a driving layup and Klay Thompson followed another Durant miss from three with a long-range basket of his own off a feed from Curry that made it 110-104 with 1:40 to play. Curry’s jumper made it 114-108 with 33.6 seconds left, prompting chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the sellout crowd.

Andre Iguodala’s dunk off another pass from Curry sealed it.

“I thought it was great for our team to go through a game like that,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s been a while since we had to get stops and be solid down the stretch offensively. On a night when it wasn’t quite his night, I thought Steph was just brilliant the last couple of minutes.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Westbrook, Durant combine for 59, beat Suns

Russell Westbrook scored 36 points and handed out 12 assists, leading Oklahoma City over Phoenix, 110-106.

Westbrook shot 12-for-19 from the field, collected five steals and had only two turnovers. Kevin Durant posted 23 points on 9-of-21 shooting.

T.J. Warren paced the Suns with 29 points and nine rebounds. P.J. Tucker added 22 points for Phoenix. - Reuters