Durant Paces Thunder Past Denver

After a pair of games across the pond, the Thunder came back to the friendly confines of Chesapeake Energy Arena for game No. 3 of the preseason.

And Kevin Durant made himself right at home back in OKC.

Durant scorched the Nuggets on Tuesday night, as Oklahoma City rolled Denver 109-81 to move to 3-0 in its exhibition slate.

KD only played 23 minutes and came out for good midway through the third quarter, but the perennial All-Star made the most of his time on the floor, going off for 36 points on 13-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 from the line. He also chipped in six rebounds and four assists for good measure.

Durant scored 11 of the team's first 16 points in helping the Thunder race out to a 16-5 advantage and OKC held a 30-17 lead after the first quarter.

After an even second quarter led to a 54-39 halftime lead, KD hit three 3's in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter to swell the lead to 20 and essentially put the game out of reach, as the Thunder outscored Denver by nine in the period.

Serge Ibaka also had a solid outing with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes, while Thabo Sefolosha also chipped in 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting with six boards and three assists.

But it wasn't all sunshine and roses for OKC, as Jeremy Lamb once again struggled from the floor, connecting on just 3-of-12 shots for six points. Rookie center Steven Adams also had an uneven performance with five points and six rebounds but fouled out in just 18 minutes.

Fellow rookie Andre Roberson continued to display his versatility from the shooting guard position with four points and nine rebounds in just 17 minutes, five of his boards came on the offensive end.

Jordan Hamilton and former Thunder guard Nate Robinson led Denver with 10 points a piece coming off the bench.

Danillo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler did not play for the Nuggets on Tuesday.

Overall, Oklahoma City out-shot Denver 45.2 percent to 37.7 percent and outrebounded the Nuggets by a massive 55-33 margin. OKC also held a 46-32 edge in points in the paint and won the turnover battle 15-to-21.

The Thunder is back in action on Thursday when it hosts the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 p.m. at the BOK Center in Tulsa.