Thunder 103, Nuggets 90
THUNDER 103, NUGGETS 90: Kevin Durant had 24 points and Russell Westbrook scored 23 to help visiting Oklahoma City past Denver, which completed a deadline trade that sent towering center Nene to Washington.
The Nuggets acquired 7-foot center JaVale McGee, forward-center Ronny Turiaf and a second-round pick from the Wizards. Nick Young went to the Los Angeles Clippers and Brian Cook of the Clippers headed to Washington to complete the three-team trade.
The Nuggets signed Nene to a new five-year, $67 million contract in December. He had played all 10 of his seasons with the Nuggets.
Durant had eight rebounds and Westbrook had six rebounds and five assists, but seven turnovers to help the Thunder (33-10) take a 9 1/2-game lead over the Nuggets (24-20) in the Northwest Division.
Sixth man James Harden scored 18 and backup shooting guard Daequan Cook had 11.
Andre Miller scored 17 off the bench to lead the Nuggets. Danilo Gallinari had 15 points.
Kenneth Faried, expected to replace Nene in the starting lineup, had eight points and nine rebounds.
Oklahoma City led 44-32 midway through the second before Denver went on a 19-6 run to close the half for a 51-50 lead. The Thunder bench scored 17 of their 21 second-quarter points led by Cook’s eight.
Oklahoma City limited Denver to 4-of-19 shooting (21.1 percent) in the third quarter to outscore the Nuggets 28-14 for a 78-65 lead and essentially sealed the game. Denver was 0 for 6 from 3-point range in the period.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Said Denver coach George Karl of the trades before they were official: “I can't deny my head has felt like it's going to burst a little bit.” ... Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha returned to the starting lineup after missing 23 games with an injured right foot but was 1 of 4 for three points. … Denver is reportedly close to signing restricted free agent Wilson Chandler to a long-term deal, which likely means Turiaf will be waived. … Oklahoma City is 9-1 after a loss. ... Denver was just 5 of 22 (22.7 percent) on 3-pointers.