Durant inspires Thunder win, Raptors crush Wizards
Kevin Durant scored a season-high 44 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New York Knicks 128-122 after overtime in the NBA on Tuesday.
Russell Westbrook claimed 30 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Thunder bounced back from their defeat to the Brooklyn Nets to seal their eighth win from their last nine games.
Durant forced the game into overtime with 16.2 seconds remaining on the clock before draining seven points in additional time to surpass the 43-point mark he achieved against Orlando Magic on October 30.
Langston Galloway led the scoring for the Knicks with 21 points, but saw his team throw away an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.
The Toronto Raptors extended their winning run to nine games after waltzing to a 106-89 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Kyle Lowry produced a classic performance with a 29-point haul but left the court early with an injured left wrist.
John Wall led the scoring for the Wizards with 18 points and 14 assists, while Otto Porter Jr. contributed 15 points and eight rebounds, but Washington fell to their fourth defeat in five.
Dirk Nowitzki hit a jumper for the Dallas Mavericks with 2.1 seconds to play, sealing a 92-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The experienced German hit eight of his 13 points in the final quarter to help the Mavs halt a two-game slide.
Julius Randle missed a long jumper on the buzzer as the Lakers fell to their seventh defeat in a row.
The Los Angeles Clippers – without Blake Griffin owing to a broken hand – held off the Indiana Pacers for a 91-89 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Chris Paul took the star role, netting 26 points including a 19-foot jumper with 33.7 seconds left in the game.
Elsewhere across the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers downed the Phoenix Suns 113-103, the Miami Heat sneaked past the Brooklyn Nets 102-98, the Sacramento Kings fell to a 112-97 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks proved too strong for the Orlando Magic in their 107-100 triumph.
