Late Thunderbolt

The difference in two young, athletic teams was demonstrated in one special weapon - a go-to scorer in crunch time.

It took an incredible shot by one of the best players in the world to snap the 76ers' three-game winning streak.

Kevin Durant's three-pointer with 6.9 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 101, sending the game into overtime, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Sixers, 110-105, Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers fell to 33-31. The Thunder, a team equal to the Sixers in athleticism with two superstars to boot, improved to 40-23.

The 6-foot-10 Durant entered the game leading the NBA in scoring at 28.1 points per game.

He single-handedly brought the Thunder back from a 101-96 deficit. First it was an off-balance 14-footer with 36.9 seconds left in regulation.

That was nothing compared to his next field goal. Taking an inbounds pass from fellow all-star Russell Westbrook and rolling off a screen from Nick Collison, Durant caught, shot, and sank a 26-foot three-pointer to tie it.

"Kevin Durant hit an incredible shot," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.

Durant attempted to share the praise.

"Coach [Scott Brooks] drew up a great play and Nick Collison, one of the best screeners in the league, made a great screen," said Durant, who had 34 points and 16 rebounds. "Russell made a great pass, and once I let it go, I felt confident it would go in."

Durant catches and shoots quickly, and he doesn't need much space to get his shot off.

"They do a good job of setting screens," said Andre Iguodala, who had the unenviable task of guarding Durant. "All he needs is a little space, and every time he scored he had just enough space getting it off, even though we did a good job of contesting."

The Sixers still had a chance of winning in regulation, but Iguodala was called for an offensive foul on a drive with 1.9 seconds left. Durant then missed a 28-footer that at first looked on line, and the game went into overtime.

Elton Brand's jumper cut the Thunder's margin to 106-105 with 1 minute, 34 seconds remaining in the extra session. Durant buried another jumper to increase the lead to 108-105 with 1:20 left.

The Sixers had a few chances to tie it.

Iguodala missed a three-point attempt. On the next possession, Jodie Meeks missed a wide-open corner three, but the Sixers retained possession on Iguodala's rebound.

The Sixers gave the ball back to the Thunder on an offensive foul, a moving screen by Brand with 40.4 seconds remaining.

Westbrook, who had 27 points, then buried a jumper for a 110-105 lead with just 22.1 seconds left to seal it.

The Sixers were led by Lou Williams, who scored 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Jrue Holiday, who also scored 22. Meeks added 17.

What hurt the Sixers was the physical play of Oklahoma City. The Thunder had a 52-36 margin in points in the paint.

"Their length inside bothered us," Collins said.

The Sixers were hurt by a poor shooting effort in the extra period, in which they were 2 for 9 and also committed three turnovers.

In the end, Oklahoma City won because it had Durant.

"I'm disappointed because I really wanted our guys to win this game," Collins said.

Durant wanted it just a little more.