LOS ANGELES – Kevin Durant scored 31 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a fifth straight NBA victory on Sunday, December 13, a 104-98 overtime triumph over the Utah Jazz.
Durant made 10 of his 17 attempts from the floor, handing out 6 assists and pulling down 5 rebounds.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook added 25 points and 11 assists as Oklahoma City beat the Jazz for the second time in three days.
Durant, who scored just two points in the first half, knotted the score with a dunk with 14.6 seconds remaining.
The Jazz threw the ball away on the ensuing possession and it went to overtime, with the Thunder scoring 8 straight points to put the game away.
Rodney Hood scored 23 points and Gordon Hayward added 22 for the Jazz, who saw 13 shots blocked by the Thunder – including 6 blocks by Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka.
Wade seals Heat win
In Miami, Dwyane Wade hit the game-winning jump shot with 21.9 seconds left as the Heat rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-97.
The Heat scored the game's final 11 points, including Wade's shot that hit the front rim and the backboard before falling.
Chris Bosh scored 22 points for the Heat, Gerald Green added 16 points, Luol Deng scored 15 and Wade produced 14 as Miami snapped a season-worst 3-game losing streak.
Wade seemed an unlikely savior for the Heat after connecting on just 5 of his first 14 shots.
But Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wasn't surprised that he came up with the goods when it mattered.
"Dwyane is uncanny," Spoelstra said. "He can play absolutely horrible stretches and all of sudden get to the last two minutes and have incredible confidence."
Knight bounces back
Brandon Knight bounced back from his worst game of the season to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 108-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Knight, who missed all 12 shots he attempted – including 8 3-point attempts – in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, drained 7 3-pointers to score a team-high 25 points.
"It always feels good to see the ball go through the hoop but I was happier to see us get over the hump as a team," said Knight, who was 3-for-24 from 3-point range in his prior 4 games. "I wasn't going to change the way I was playing ... I'm a confident person and my teammates stick behind me. It happens, I can't tell you why, but I know I have to continue to be aggressive."
In Toronto, the Raptors' fourth straight win came at the expense of the hapless Philadelphia 76ers, who fell to 1-24 with a 96-76 defeat.
The 76ers also lost forward Nerlens Noel to a corneal abrasion in his left eye late in the third quarter, when he was elbowed by Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry. – Rappler.com