The Oklahoma City Thunder's playoff push gathered steam with a 108-104 NBA victory over the Los Angeles Clippers behind a 35-point performance from Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists for the Thunder, who swept the season series against the Clippers. "I expect our guys to be able to fight and get us back in the game," said Vinny Del Negro, the Clippers coach. "We were more aggressive in the second half but turnovers and free throws were the difference. "We had our opportunities but we didn't convert down the stretch." Serge Ibaka had a strong game for the Thunder as he manhandled Blake Griffin several times under the basket, finishing with 16 points and two blocks in front of a crowd of 19,371. Ibaka took his aggressive play too far at one point and was nearly ejected after he delivered a hard slap to Griffin's groin late in the game, a move which earned him a foul. The Miami Heat matched a franchise record with their 14th straight win as they beat the New York Nicks 99-93 on the back of LeBron James' 29 points. James, who sustained a knock to his leg in the third quarter but still finished the game, also had 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Dwayne Wade scored 20 points. Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points for the Knicks, who led by as many as 16 points at one stage but saw their three-game winning streak come to an end nonetheless. Kobe Bryant scored 34 points as the Los Angeles Lakers edged out the Atlanta Hawks 99-98. Watched by tennis world number one Novak Djokovic in the crowd, Bryant also scored the winning layup with nine seconds left to play. Chandler Parsons scored 32 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 136-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. David West poured in 31 points as the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 97-92 and the San Antonio Spurs were 114-75 winners over the Detroit Pistons. The Memphis Grizzlies eased to a 108-82 win over the Orlando Magic, the Washington Wizards were 90-87 winners over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Sacramento Kings dispatched the Charlotte Bobcats 119-83. Follow us
