Durant pours in 36 as OKC crushes Indiana
Thunder improves to 10-0 at home
KEVIN DURANT had 36 points and 10 rebounds and Oklahoma City turned a matchup of two of the NBA's best teams into a blowout with a 118-94 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers last night.
The Thunder (15-4) improved to 10-0 at home this season. It is the only Western Conference team to remain undefeated at home.
Durant was 14 of 23 from the field and Oklahoma City shot a season-best 61 percent (47 of 77). Russell Westbrook finished with 26 points, Reggie Jackson had 15 and Serge Ibaka 13 for the Thunder.
Paul George scored 32 points for the Pacers (18-3), who shot just 40 percent (34 of 85).
Indiana was playing its second game in two nights, having won at San Antonio on Saturday.
The Thunder never trailed yesterday, leading by as many as 19 points in the first half before pushing the lead to 29 in the third quarter after Steven Adams' three-point play put Oklahoma City up 88-59.
Oklahoma City nearly equaled its season-high of 119 points in the win, falling one point short of what it scored on Nov. 8 against Detroit.
The loss was the worst of the season for last season's Eastern Conference finalists, the Pacers. Their only other losses were a 16-point defeat at Chicago on Nov. 16, and a four-point defeat at Portland on Dec. 2.
Oklahoma City swept the regular-season series with the Pacers last season, and Durant opened the game with a point to prove in the matchup of NBA Finals hopefuls.
The NBA's leading scorer at 28.5 points per game hit six of his first seven shots in the first quarter, scoring 14 of the Thunder's first 18 points. Oklahoma City led by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, stretching that to 19 points in the second quarter after Jeremy Lamb's three-pointer put the Thunder up 43-24.
Lamb's three-pointer capped a 15-4 run for Oklahoma City, all coming from its reserves - led by Jackson's seven points.
In other games
* At New York, Jordan Crawford scored 23 points and the Boston Celtics posted the most lopsided victory in the NBA this season, bursting out to another sizzling start and pouring it on from there to batter the Knicks, 114-73.
Jared Sullinger added 21 for the Celtics, who jumped to leads of 12-0, 18-1 and 25-3 and improved their Atlantic Division-leading record to 10-12.
* At Auburn Hills, Mich., LeBron James had 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and the Miami Heat breezed to a 110-95 victory over Detroit. Ray Allen added 18 points for the Heat, which was without Dwyane Wade but still shot 56 percent from the field and 11 of 28 from three-point range.
* At Houston, Dwight Howard celebrated his 28th birthday in a big way, getting 20 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Rockets over the Orlando Magic, 98-88.
Noteworthy
* A person familiar with the deal says the Toronto Raptors have reached an agreement to send Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings in a multiplayer trade. The Raptors will receive Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes. The Kings also will acquire Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy. The source said the deal is expected to become official today.