Thunder 116, Suns 98
Kevin Durant and James Harden scored 22 points each and helped the Oklahoma City Thunder pull away from the visiting Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter for a 116-98 victory Wednesday night.
Russell Westbrook scored 16 points and Serge Ibaka added 15 and 10 rebounds for the Thunder (50-24), who have won five straight and 11 of 12.
The Oklahoma franchise has posted consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since the club was located in Seattle and achieved the feat five consecutive seasons starting in the 1992-93 season.
Slumping Vince Carter, who scored 25 points in his last four games, had 28 off the bench for the Suns (36-38), who have lost four straight and dropped 5 1/2 games behind Memphis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Harden scored seven points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to push a six-point lead to 93-80. Durant converted a technical free throw and drained a 3-pointer to push the bulge to 17. The duo combined for 17 points in the final 12 minutes.