DENVER – evin Durant scored 40 points, Russell Westbrook had 26 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat Denver 124-114 on Monday night to hand the Nuggets their sixth loss in a row.
Durant matched a career best by hitting seven 3-pointers and finished 13-of-19 from the floor. Mitch McGary added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder.
The Nuggets, who have lost 13 of 14, were led by Wilson Chandler’s 23 points. Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson each added 22 for Denver, which also lost its sixth in a row at home – its longest home skid since dropping seven in a row at the Pepsi Center from Feb. 6 to March 2, 2003.
Trailing by 14 at halftime, the Nuggets scored the first nine points of the third quarter to pull to 73-68. But Westbrook countered with a 3 to spark a 13-3 burst that put the Thunder back in front by 15. Durant added three more 3-pointers later in the third, and Oklahoma City led 106-92 going into the final period.
The Nuggets used a 9-0 burst capped by Lawson’s running jumper to cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 115-106 with 5:29 remaining. The Thunder responded with a burst of their own, going in front by 13 on Westbrook’s bank shot with 3:47 left and maintaining a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
Durant scored 16 during Oklahoma City’s 41-point second quarter, including two 3s in the last 1:46 before halftime, to help the Thunder take a 73-59 lead at the break.
Oklahoma City led by as many as 22 early on, but a 13-4 spurt by the Nuggets midway through the second period helped narrow the gap.
