Durant powers Thunder past Mavs, Lakers shine
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant scored 30 points and hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to lift the Thunder to a 104-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday in a rematch of last season’s NBA Western Conference finals.
The Thunder let Dallas wipe away a five-point deficit in the final 46 seconds to go ahead on Vince Carter’s 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining.
That was just enough time for Oklahoma City to get the ball to Durant, who drilled a 3 from the right wing that improved his team to 4-0.
Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, whose title defense is off to an 0-3 start.
ROCKETS 105, SPURS 85
In Houston, Kevin Martin scored 25 points to lead Houston to a comfortable win over San Antonio.
Luis Scola added 18 for the Rockets, who took advantage of the Spurs’ poor shooting at the start to build a big lead.
First-year Houston coach Kevin McHale was able to rest his starters in the fourth quarter, with his team playing the first of three games on consecutive nights.
MAGIC 94, NETS 78
In Orlando, Ryan Anderson scored 22 points for Orlando, which had little trouble shaking off New Jersey.
Dwight Howard had 16 points and 24 rebounds for the Magic, recording the 49th 20-rebound game of his career and coming within two of equalling his personal best.
LAKERS 99, KNICKS 82
In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 28 points in yet another dynamic performance against the Knicks, as Los Angeles pulled away in the fourth quarter for their ninth straight victory over New York.
Pau Gasol had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Lakers.
Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points in his first showdown with Bryant since joining the Knicks, but New York again struggled late.
The Lakers opened the fourth quarter with a 17-3 run, taking a 22-point lead and forcing the Knicks to miss nine of their first 10 shots while committing seven turnovers.
The Lakers have dominated this rivalry in recent years, winning every meeting since February 2007 with Bryant averaging more than 34 points per game.
TRAIL BLAZERS 111, NUGGETS 102
In Portland, Wesley Matthews had 25 points, including five 3-pointers in the second half, as Portland defeated Denver to stay undefeated after three games this season.
Raymond Felton had 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:45 left as the Blazers pulled away from the Nuggets, who knotted the game 98-98 midway through the fourth quarter.
Portland led by as many as 13 points in the first half but the team was plagued by 25 turnovers.
BULLS 108, KINGS 98
In Sacramento, Derrick Rose had 19 points and eight assists as Chicago earned a victory over Sacramento.
The Bulls ran off 15 straight points early in the game and never trailed again in defeating the Kings, the NBA’s youngest team.
Carlos Boozer had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls.
