Thunder Finish Strong to Notch Sixth Straight Win

Oklahoma City weathered a late-game push from Charlotte to win its first game of a six-game home stand.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:16 pm

By: News On 6

Thunder Finish Strong to Notch Sixth Straight Win

Originally Published: Mar 18, 2011 9:43 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Charlotte Bobcats threatened late, cutting the lead to single-digits with less than seven to play, but Oklahoma City closed the game on an 18-3 run to come away with a 99-82 win Friday.

The win marks the sixth consecutive for Oklahoma City, its longest streak of the season.

With 6:50 left on the clock, D.J. White – who was part of the deal to bring Nazr Mohammed to Oklahoma City – knocked down a jumper to cut the lead Thunder’s lead to 81-79. But that’s when Oklahoma City took over.

Sparked by Kevin Durant jumper, Oklahoma City scored 15 unanswered – six each from Durant and Russell Westbrook – while holding the Bobcats to eight misses and five turnovers in the game’s closing minutes.

However, it wasn’t all good for the Thunder.

Durant, who leads the league in scoring, left the game due to an apparent shoulder injury with just 1:40 left to play. No details were made immediately available after the game.

Despite leaving early, Durant led all scorers with 25 points, with James Harden adding 21points in his 28 minutes and Serge Ibaka notching 12 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks in the win.

Stephen Jackson led Charlotte in scoring with 18 points, forward Boris Diaw contributing 13 and Dante Cunningham scoring 10 coming off of the bench.

In addition to winning big on the court, the Thunder did their part to assist those affected by the recent wildfires in the state of Oklahoma. As part of OKC Red Cross Wildfire Relief, Oklahoma City fans raised $10,500 as a part of a fan auction for autographed team merchandise.

The win over Memphis came in the first of a six-game home stand for Oklahoma City that continues at 7 p.m. Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.