No Durant, but Thunder win
BOSTON » The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t hit a shot, and they didn’t have Kevin Durant or Jeff Green to save them.
Finally, Russell Westbrook stepped to the line and hit a pair of foul shots with 13.4 seconds left to hold off the Celtics.
Westbrook scored 31 points, including six free throws in the fourth quarter for the Thunder’s only points over a 9-minute span, and Oklahoma City held on to beat Boston 89-84 last night.
"We’re not used to finishing games without Kevin Durant," Oklahoma City forward Thabo Sefolosha said. "Russell had to do it. It showed a lot about our team. It definitely gives confidence to a lot of guys."
Westbrook went 11-for-13 from the line, but he missed all seven of his field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter. The Thunder missed their last 13 shots from the field, going without a basket for the last 9:28 of the game.
"I knew going into the game that we would have to play just an ugly game," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "But our guys really battled and picked up the effort throughout the game and it was a good win for us. Having KD and Jeff out, it’s not the easiest thing to do."
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Oklahoma City was playing without two of its top three scorers: Durant, the NBA scoring leader who has a sore left ankle, and Green, who has a sprained left ankle.
"It’s not painful to watch when we’re winning," said Durant, who played in all 82 games last season and the first 11 this year. "Of course I want to be out there and play with my team. I’ve got to make sure I’m healthy first, though."
Heat 95, Bobcats 87
LeBron James scored 32 points, Chris Bosh added 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Miami wasted another huge lead before hanging on to beat Charlotte.
Fighting off the flu, Dwyane Wade scored 11 for the Heat, who led by as many as 21 in the second quarter but found themselves down 82-80 after Stephen Jackson’s 3-pointer with 4:56 remaining.
James hit a short jumper from the lane to put Miami up again, and Bosh made four straight free throws to give the Heat a 90-85 edge with 1:07 left.
Lakers 112, Timberwolves 95
Kobe Bryant had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Matt Barnes scored 24 on 7-for-7 shooting to lead Los Angeles over Minnesota.
Lamar Odom dominated Team USA teammate Kevin Love, who was held scoreless (0-for-7 shooting) and had only seven rebounds.
Hornets 108, Cavaliers 101
David West scored a season-high 34 points, and New Orleans held Cleveland to 35 percent shooting and survived a late flurry.
Wizards 89, Grizzlies 86
Gilbert Arenas scored 24 points, Kirk Hinrich had 22, and Washington beat Memphis despite shooting just 38 percent.
Raptors 106, Rockets 96
Andrea Bargnani scored 26 points, Linas Kleiza had 17 and Toronto beat Houston to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
76ers 90, Bucks 79
Thaddeus Young scored a season-high 23 points, Lou Williams added 19 and Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Milwaukee.
Kings 86, Nets 81
Tyreke Evans scored 20 points and Sacramento snapped a six-game losing streak by beating New Jersey.
Knicks 125, Warriors 119
Raymond Felton scored a career-high 35 points on 13-for-17 shooting and dished out 11 assists, and New York held off Golden State’s late rally to snap an eight-game losing streak in Oakland.
Bulls 88, Mavericks 83
Derrick Rose scored 22 points, Taj Gibson added 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds before fouling out with under a minute to play, and Chicago rallied from a 12-point, third-quarter deficit to beat Dallas.
Spurs 94, Jazz 82
Tim Duncan set San Antonio’s career scoring record, Tony Parker blocked out jeers from the crowd for 24 points, and the Spurs beat Utah for their ninth straight victory.