NEW YORK — The Oklahoma City tandem of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were too much for the New York Knicks to handle Tuesday as the Thunder won 128-122 in overtime at Madison Square Garden.
Durant poured in a season-high 44 points, and Westbrook produced his 30th double-double of the season. It was the second time this season Durant went over the 40-point mark after he scored 43 against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 30.
“I’m not really into how many points I score anymore,” said Durant, a four-time league scoring champion. “I try to play winning and consistent basketball. If I play a good brand of basketball, if I play the right way, that stuff will come.”
Durant pulled down three of his 14 rebounds in overtime. He shot 12-for-26 from the floor and 16-for-18 from the line.
Westbrook recorded 30 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Thunder (34-13).
The duo’s output was significant considering their resiliency on the court. Westbrook logged 44 minutes, while Durant played 43 minutes.
The Knicks (22-25) were without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony, who has a sore left knee. New York is 0-5 without the Eastern Conference All Star, who is averaging 21.3 points this season.
Anthony was replaced by Lance Thomas, who scored 16 points. Langston Galloway came off the bench to lead New York with a season-high 21 points. Derrick Williams added 19 and 10 rebounds.
Heat 102, Nets 98: Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 54 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 102-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
Bosh had 27 points, five rebounds and four assists, Wade had 27 points and eight assists for the Heat (25-21).
76ers 113, Suns 103: Ish Smith had 20 points and nine assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Phoenix Suns 113-103 in a meeting of two of the NBA’s worst teams.
Robert Covington added 19 points 15 for Philadelphia, who are 4-17 at home and 7-39 overall, both league worsts. Archie Goodwin scored 26 for the Suns, the NBA’s fourth-worst team (14-32).
Clippers 91, Pacers 89: Chris Paul scored 26 points, including a clutch jumper with 33.7 seconds remaining, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the struggling Indiana Pacers 91-89 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
J.J. Redick added 19 for the Clippers, who made 15 of 37 shots from three-point range, while the Pacers were five of 16 from beyond the arc.
Paul George had 31 for the Pacers, who are 3-17 when trailing after three quarters.
Raptors 106, Wizards 89: Kyle Lowry scored 29 points, and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards 106-89 to tie the franchise record with a ninth consecutive win. The Raptors also won nine straight in 2002.
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for Toronto while Terrence Ross contributed 15 points off the bench.
Bucks 107, Magic 100: Jerryd Bayless sank a three-pointer from the corner with 13.3 seconds left to lock down the Milwaukee Bucks’ 107-100 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Bayless hit two three-pointers in the quarter — and three of the Bucks’ five for the game — and finished with 12 points as Milwaukee staved off a late Orlando rally.
Trail Blazers 112, Kings 97: CJ McCollum scored 18 points and Damian Lillard chipped in 15 and 13 assists as the Portland Trail Blazers broke open a tight game at halftime to beat the Sacramento Kings 112-97 at the Moda Center.
Gerald Henderson added 15 points, and seven players scored in double figures for the Trail Blazers (21-26), who moved ahead of Sacramento in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Mavericks 92, Lakers 90: Dirk Nowitzki’s baseline jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining lifted the Dallas Mavericks to a 92-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.
J.J. Barea came off the bench to deliver 18 points, and Chandler Parsons scored 17 and collected nine rebounds for the Mavericks (26-21). Nowitzki, who was hindered by foul trouble, added 13 points and six rebounds.
