Thunder Rides Explosive First Half to Third Straight Win

Oklahoma City scored 65 points in the first half and never allowed Sacramento to retake the lead.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:32 am

By: News On 6

Thunder Rides Explosive First Half to Third Straight Win

Originally Published: Mar 2, 2010 8:29 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Thunder had an explosive first half and managed to hold off the Sacramento Kings for a 113-107 victory Tuesday.

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant led the Thunder (36-23) to a 65-point explosion in the first half and a seven-point halftime lead. Durant scored 22 in the half, while Westbrook added 18 points and dished out nine assists. The two combined to shoot 13-of-18, and the Thunder as a team shot 67 percent.

Oklahoma City’s offensive production decline in the second half and it never managed to fully distance itself from the Kings (20-40). The Thunder built a lead of as much as nine, but quickly allowed Sacramento to pull back within two.

The Thunder led by five with less than one minute remaining when Durant missed a 14-foot jumper. Westbrook pulled down a clutch offensive rebound to retake possession, then drew a foul. He made one of the free throws, and the Thunder’s defense stepped up and did not allow the Kings to score in the final 34 seconds.

Durant finished with a game-high 39, while Westbrook added 30 points and 13 assists. Jeff Green scored 15, and Nenad Krstic had 14 points and nine rebounds.

Rookie Tyreke Evans led the Kings with 27 points, and Carl Landry scored 17. Sacramento got strong production from its bench, which outscored the Thunder’s reserves 34-15.

The Thunder has now won three consecutive games, and will begin a three-game road trip at 8 p.m. Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets.