Thunder 117, Nuggets 96
Kevin Durant led the way with 27 points - his 35th straight game with at least 25 - and eight assists as Oklahoma City cruised past visiting Denver.
Caron Butler scored 23 points off the bench and Reggie Jackson collected 16 points and 11 assists while starting in place of Russell Westbrook for the Thunder, who won their fourth straight. Serge Ibaka added 15 points and seven rebounds for Oklahoma City, which remained two games behind first-place San Antonio in the Western Conference race.
Ty Lawson recorded 25 points and seven assists for the Nuggets, who lost their third straight road game. Kenneth Faried had 11 points and 11 rebounds while Quincy Miller and Timofey Mozgov scored 12 points apiece for Denver.
Jackson connected twice from beyond the arc and Durant and Butler each added a 3-pointer during a 12-0 run that gave the Thunder a 22-13 lead. Durant added a three-point play later in the period as Oklahoma City stretched it out to 41-24 by the end of the first before taking a 72-58 lead into the break.
Durant’s free throw gave the Thunder an 85-65 cushion with 3:45 left in the third, and the advantage was 17 points heading into the fourth. Butler scored four points during a 6-0 surge that pushed the lead to 22 points with 7:18 left as Oklahoma City coasted to the finish.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Durant’s streak in the longest since Michael Jordan went 40 straight games with at least 25 points in the 1986-87 season. … Westbrook (knee) is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday at Dallas after an MRI on his right knee over the weekend showed no structural damage. … Denver F Jan Vesely (hip) sat out the game after leaving Sunday’s contest.