Thunder 118, Clippers 112
Kevin Durant had 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists as Oklahoma City knocked off host Los Angeles to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Russell Westbrook added 23 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds as the Thunder recorded their second straight victory after losing the series opener. Serge Ibaka had 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting while reserves Caron Butler and Reggie Jackson tallied 14 points apiece off the bench.
Blake Griffin had 34 points and eight rebounds and Chris Paul contributed 21 points and 16 assists for the Clippers, who host Game 4 on Sunday afternoon. Jamal Crawford scored 20 points, Matt Barnes added 14 and DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Back-to-back baskets by Ibaka gave Oklahoma City a 106-101 lead with four minutes remaining but consecutive hoops by Jordan and Griffin moved Los Angeles within one with 2:32 left. Westbrook drained a straight-away 3-pointer and Durant swished a turnaround jumper with 1:23 left to make it a six-point margin and Jackson hit two free throws with 22.7 seconds to play to push the lead to eight.
Durant scored 21 first-half points but Paul drained a late 3-pointer to give the Clippers a 63-61 advantage at the break. The Thunder led by four late in the third quarter before Los Angeles rattled off eight in a row to take a 90-86 lead into the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Los Angeles was 35-0 at home when entering the fourth quarter with a lead before losing this contest. … The Thunder had a 44-33 rebounding edge to post a double-figure edge on the boards for the third straight game. … The Clippers committed just six turnovers – none by Paul – while Oklahoma City had 14.