Durant leads Thunder over Miami in Finals opener

Updated June 13, 2012 14:56:34

Kevin Durant won the opening round of his highly anticipated duel with LeBron James, scoring 36 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 105-94 victory over the Miami Heat in the opening game of the NBA Finals on Wednesday (AEST).

Durant, the NBA scoring champion, hit 12-of-20 shots and added eight rebounds to help the Western Conference champions overcome a seven-point half-time deficit.

Point guard Russell Westbrook scored 27 points, and had eight rebounds and 11 assists for Oklahoma City.

Three-time MVP James scored 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting, while adding nine rebounds, but it was Durant who triggered the Thunder's 18-point turnaround in the second half.

Durant's tussle with James is widely regarded as a barometer for determining the NBA's best player, with both also seeking a first championship.

"Everybody has to come to play," said Durant, who had 17 points in the fourth quarter on six-of-10 shooting.

"Everybody played hard in the second half. We stuck together."

Speaking of his play in the final quarter, Durant said: "I'm just playing off my team-mates. I'm not trying to force anything, I just take what the defense gives me."

Miami led by as many as 13 in the opening half but fell apart in the third quarter, and when Westbrook made a three-point play late in the period to give the Thunder their first lead at 74-73, the stadium erupted.

"I thought we showed a lot of toughness in the second half," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

"KD (Durant) is a terrific player, a terrific scorer," he added.

"But he's a special player because he defends. We're a defensive team."

Oklahoma City held a 43-35 advantage in rebounds after losing the first-half battle on the glass 20-17.

The Heat's big first half was the result of a combination of hot shooting from beyond the arc and inconsistent play by the Thunder, who committed eight turnovers.

But the Thunder, playing in their first championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008, opened the second half on a 13-6 run to tie the score at 60-60 with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Reuters

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First posted June 13, 2012 13:43:49

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Heat hang on to beat Thunder and tie series

Updated June 15, 2012 15:16:52

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade proved they were not yet ready to pass the torch to the next generation by leading the Miami Heat to a 100-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in game two of the NBA Finals on Friday (AEST).

James scored 32 points and Wade added 24 as the veteran-laden Heat rebounded from Tuesday night's lacklustre 105-94 setback to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.

Oklahoma City fought back from a 13-point deficit in the last nine minutes and trailed 98-96 when Kevin Durant missed a five-footer with 10 seconds left.

James was fouled on the rebound and calmly sank two free throws with seven seconds to play to seal the victory.

"We've been down, we've withstood rallies," James told reporters. "Good thing about it is when they scored we didn't put our head down. That's a great team we're going against."

Oklahoma City's frenetic running game made Miami look old in game one and the Heat responded with an 18-2 run to open the Thursday's game and silence the 18,000 at Chesapeake Arena.

But the Thunder came roaring back with Durant scoring 16 of his 32 points in the final quarter. Durant had only six points at the half and finished the game with 12 of 22 shooting.

"It's going to take all the way down to those zeros on that clock to get a win," said James, who had eight rebounds, five assists and hit all 12 of his free throws.

"We did a really good job of contesting their shots. That allowed us to get rebounds. A good job by all of us defensively. It's always good to get a win on the road."

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook had 27 points and seven assists, while James Harden came off the bench to score 21.

"He was doing it at both ends like he has been doing it all year long," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of James.

"This is going to be probably like this every single game. That's the beauty of competition at this level."

The best-of-seven series shifts to Miami for game three on Sunday night.

Reuters

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First posted June 15, 2012 14:13:41

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Boomers edge Thunder

Updated February 05, 2012 17:35:16

Bulleen emerged the winner of a tight WNBL clash at Logan on Sunday afternoon, finishing its Queensland road trip with an 83-80 win over the Thunder.

Led by Elizabeth Cambage, who put up 34 points and 14 rebounds, the Boomers used a strong second quarter to snatch a half-time lead before a neck-and-neck fight to the final siren.

Cambage had scoring help from Rachel Jarry (18) and Chantella Perera (11) to counter a strong all-round effort from Logan's stars.

Cayla Francis top-scored for the home side with 22 points and 13 oards while Renae Camino added 17 and Sarah Graham 12.

Bulleen remains in second place on the ladder with a 14-5 record, two and a half games back from competition leader Adelaide (17-3).

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, logan-central-4114, bulleen-3105, qld, australia, vic

First posted February 05, 2012 17:35:16

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Thunder fall painfully short of finals

Updated February 18, 2012 23:21:19

Logan trounced the second-placed Boomers 90-65 in Bulleen in its final WNBL regular season encounter on Saturday night.

But it was not enough for the visiting Thunder to rise into the top half of the competition, having lost to the Spirit in Bendigo on Friday night.

Sara Graham and Renae Camino scored 17 apiece and Cayla Francis added 16 for Logan, which finished 12-10 and needed two wins on its Victorian road trip to see finals action.

The Boomers got 19 points from Rachel Jarry at the Veneto Club, but their finals place has been long since assured.

Bendigo could have advanced if Canberra had upset Townsville on Saturday night in far north Queensland, but the Fire were comfortable winners 106-94 over the Capitals at home.

And Dandenong locked up third place on the ladder as it crushed the league-leading Lightning 82-51 in Saturday's early game.

But despite the thrashing, the Lightning will still host Bulleen in the major semi-final next Saturday.

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, logan-city-dc-4114, bulleen-3105

First posted February 18, 2012 23:21:19

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Lightning overhaul Thunder

Updated January 28, 2012 00:07:30

Adelaide Lightning produced a stunning final quarter to beat the Thunder 63-52 in their WNBL game at Logan Metro Indoor Sports Centre.

The Thunder held a narrow 43-42 lead at three-quarter time, but were outscored by the Lightning 21-9 in the fourth term with Abby Bishop prominent for the visitors with a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Jenni Screen also posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Renae Camino top scored for the Thunder with a 15-point tally.

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, logan-city-dc-4114, qld, australia

First posted January 28, 2012 00:07:30

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Thunder hold off Flames

Updated January 22, 2012 23:56:10

The Thunder held on for a thrilling 71-69 victory over the Sydney Uni Flames at the Logan Metro Stadium on Sunday.

With the scores locked at 65-65 it took a huge defensive effort from the hosts to keep the Flames at bay and pick up a 10th win for the season.

Import Cory Montgomery finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for Logan while Cayla Francis and Renae Camino added 15 and 13 points respectively.

Belinda Snell led all scorers with 27 and Belinda Snell recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but it was not enough for the Flames who have won just one of their last six matches.

In Perth, the Waves picked up just their second win of the season with a 64-62 upset over Bendigo.

Spirit veteran Kristi Harrower missed two free-throws at the death that would have sent the match into overtime.

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, logan-central-4114, qld, australia, sydney-2000, nsw, perth-6000, wa, bendigo-3550, vic

First posted January 22, 2012 23:56:10

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Thunder storms the Capitals in WNBL finals charge

Updated January 20, 2012 22:40:17

The Logan Thunder eased to a 13-point win over the Canberra Capitals at AIS Arena on Friday night to kick-start their charge into the WNBL finals spots.

The Thunder's 72-59 win moved them into fourth spot and are breathing down the neck of third-placed Townsville which has played four games more.

Cayla Francis turned in a commanding double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Kristen Veal sunk 15 points for the Thunder.

Sarah Graham also chipped in with seven assists and 12 points.

Carly Wilson and Brigette Ardossi top-scored for Canberra with 15 points while Jessica Bibby chipped in with 12.

Canberra's struggles continue with the Capitals stuck in eighth spot.

The Townsville Fire moved up into third place with a 70-57 win over the Sydney University Flames as Shanavia Dowdell dominated affairs with a polished all-round display in Townsville.

Dowdell fired an awesome double-double featuring 18 points and 16 rebounds, and was supported ably by Jessica Foley's 22-point top score.

The Flames' loss means they sit outside the finals spots in sixth.

At the top of the table, the Adelaide Lightning kept setting the pace with a 70-54 blitzing of the Bendigo Spirit at Adelaide Arena.

Suzy Batkovic topped the scoring charts with 24 points and eight rebounds as Adelaide shot 75 per cent from beyond the arc to work its way to a 49-36 half-time lead.

The points dried up in the last two quarters with Bendigo edging the third period 9-6, before the hosts edged the fourth by six points to close out the game.

Deanna Smith (20 points, nine rebounds) and Kristi Harrower (18 points) carried the vast bulk of the scoring responsibilities for Bendigo, but found no other helping hands available to reel the Lightning in.

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, canberra-2600, act, logan-city-dc-4114, qld, australia

First posted January 20, 2012 22:02:23

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Lightning too strong for Thunder

Updated December 10, 2011 22:26:22

The Lightning posted a comfortable 88-67 victory over Logan Thunder at Adelaide Arena.

Suzy Batkovic-Brown led the scoring for the Lightning via a 27-point haul, while Renae Camino impressed for the Thunder with 24 points.

In other results, Dandenong Rangers won on the road through a 73-64 result over the Fire in Townsville, the Spirit triumphed 80-58 against AIS at Bendigo Stadium and Sydney Uni Flames downed Canberra Capitals 76-70 at AIS Arena.

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, adelaide-5000

First posted December 10, 2011 22:26:22

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Thunder continues West Coast's misery

Updated December 10, 2011 08:26:09

The Logan Thunder beat the West Coast Waves 86-65 in Perth to record their sixth win of the season on Friday night.

Cayla Francis (18 points) and Renae Camino (18) shared top contributions for Logan, in a result that puts the Thunder one spot below fifth-placed Dandenong in the finals places, with two games in hand.

A massive 30 points to WA's Rohanee Cox was not enough to prevent Logan cruising to its 21-point win, with only Melissa Marsh (13 points) offering any real assistance.

The loss is West Coast's 11th from 12 games, leaving the Waves rock bottom of the WNBL ladder.

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, perth-6000, wa, logan-city-dc-4114, qld, australia

First posted December 10, 2011 08:26:09

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Mavs comeback silences Thunder

Updated May 24, 2011 15:22:00

Dallas has produced a remarkable comeback to beat Oklahoma City 112-105 in overtime, with Dirk Nowitzki draining 40 points and pushing the Mavericks within one win of clinching a place in the NBA Finals.

The Mavericks lead the series 3-1 and can secure a place in the championship play-offs against the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls, with a victory in game five in Dallas on Thursday (AEST).

Dallas had not lead at any stage in regulation and was 15 points down with just over four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter in Oklahoma City.

"One thing about this team all year, they've been resourceful, they keep on believing, and we've been extremely opportunistic," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

"The way they hung in tonight was just fantastic."

While Dallas never lost faith in their ability to comeback, the Thunder looked a different side completely on offense after the influential James Harden fouled out with 4:34 remaining.

Dallas then finished with a 17-2 run with the magnificent Nowitzki producing two free throws in the final seven seconds as the game was tied at 101-101 after regulation.

In overtime Dallas took control over a demoralised Thunder, a three pointer from the excellent Jason Kid, with 40 seconds left on the clock, proving decisive.

The Thunder, who only came into existence in 2008 after the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City, looked dejected during time-outs in the latter stages - their body language betraying the shell-shocked state of a youthful team.

"Our youth is not an excuse," said Thunder top-scorer Kevin Durant, who made 29 points but also had nine of Oklahoma City's 25 turnovers.

"We just weren't making shots and they were.

"I feel upset because I feel I let the fans down, let the city down.

"We have to come back and push hard and try to bring it back to OKC."

Nowitzki's 40-point performance was his second in this series and included 14 on 15 free throws and some outstanding turnaround jump shots.

Durant and the Thunder started with impressive intensity and led 31-22 after the first quarter, but Dallas fought back with the seven-foot tall Nowitzki making 17 points in the second quarter.

"We kept believing, we got some rebounds at last, that had been killing us," Nowitzki said.

"We got some great stops in the last couple of minutes.

"We are happy with this win but it's not over yet."

-Reuters

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First posted May 24, 2011 14:52:00

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Nowitzki goes up for a shot against the Thunder

Source:Christian Petersen, Getty ImagesPublished:Tuesday, May 24, 2011 3:03 AEST

Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki (R) goes up for a shot against Kendrick Perkins of Oklahoma City in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals at Oklahoma City Arena on May 23, 2011.

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'Matrix' reloads against Thunder

Source:Christian Petersen, Getty ImagesPublished:Sunday, May 22, 2011 3:20 AEST

Shawn Marion of the Dallas Mavericks goes up for a dunk in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Oklahoma City Arena on May 21, 2011.

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Thunder upset Mavs to tie series

Posted May 21, 2011 16:45:00

The Oklahoma City Thunder, getting a tremendous boost from their bench, beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-100 to level the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals at 1-1.

Kevin Durant, the NBA scoring leader the last two years, scored 24 points to lead the Thunder in scoring but was supported by a mighty effort from the reserves topped by guard James Harden's 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

"We have a lot of confidence in James," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

"He made plays. He made big basketball plays. He's a spot up shooter, he's a penetrator, he's a playmaker. He's a tremendous player."

The Oklahoma back-ups, outscored by 31 points by Maverick reserves in Game One, manned the floor throughout the fourth quarter alongside Durant and combined to score 50 points in the game.

Harden gave Oklahoma City the lead going into the final period by producing a four-point play at the end of the third quarter when the guard drained a three-pointer and was fouled in the process. After sinking the free throw, the Thunder led 77-76.

A long jumper by Harden padded the lead to 102-92 with 3:15 left, and Oklahoma City withstood a furious fight-back led by Dirk Nowitzki, who had been quieted by some heavy double-team defensive pressure following his Game One eruption for 48 points.

Nowitzki, the seven-foot (2.13m) German jump shooter, scored 16 fourth-quarter points to finish with 29.

"They wanted it more and came out swinging," Nowitzki said after Dallas lost its first home playoff game of this postseason.

Said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle: "They attacked us, got us back on our heels. I don't remember a game we've won giving up 56 per cent shooting. Give them credit. They played an attacking, desperate game. Their bench was dominant."

The Mavericks led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter before Durant changed the momentum with a thunderous, rim-rattling dunk over Dallas centre Brendan Hayward.

Oklahoma City finished the first quarter trailing 31-26 and surged into a 59-57 at the intermission.

Durant praised the work of the reserves.

"We had a good chemistry going and the coach made a great decision to stick with it," he said.

"They really won the game tonight."

Brooks sat talented starting guard Russell Westbrook, who had scored 18 points, for the entire fourth quarter after he made a turnover at the end of the third quarter and a foul and then fumed on the bench.

Eric Maynor took over for Westbrook and finished with 13 points.

"I thought Eric did a good job," coach Brooks said.

"Russell is an incredible player, our starting point guard. It was his time to come out and I stuck with Eric. He did a great job handling the decisions on the court."

The series now shifts to Oklahoma City for Game Three.

- Reuters

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Nowitzki silences Thunder in Game One

Updated May 18, 2011 15:03:00

Dirk Nowitzki scored 48 points and set an NBA record with a 24-for-24 free throw shooting performance to power Dallas over Oklahoma City 121-112 in the opener of their NBA play-off series.

German playmaker Nowitzki went 12-of-15 from the field and sank the most free throws without a miss in a play-off game in NBA history as the Mavericks seized the lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference championship series.

"I was really looking to shoot early," he said.

"I was able to get my rhythm, make my first couple of shots and really got going."

Nowitzki, seeking his first NBA title, staged a shooting clinic as well as swatting aside four shots in a spectacular effort, breaking the perfect play-off free throw mark of 21 set by Boston's Paul Pierce in 2008.

"He played great," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

"Dirk spends a lot of time working on his game and keeping himself ready. He got going early, did a good job of mixing his drives with his jump shots."

Oklahoma City used six different players against Nowitzki to no avail.

Showing no sign of problems after a nine-day lay-off since ousting the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks won their seventh play-off game in a row by holding off a determined Thunder squad down the stretch.

NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant, the top playmaker on the NBA's youngest squad, scored 40 points while Russell Westbrook added 20 points despite 3-for-15 shooting from the field and Serge Ibaka contributed 17.

Jason Terry added 24 points, including a game-sealing three-pointer in the dying seconds, and JJ Barea added 21 points for the Mavericks.

Nowitzki, two points shy of his career play-off high, scored 17 points in the third quarter as Dallas pulled ahead by as many as 16 points and led 90-79 entering the fourth quarter.

- AFP

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First posted May 18, 2011 14:55:00

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Thunder rain on Grizzlies' postseason

Updated May 16, 2011 09:24:00

NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant poured in 39 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past Memphis 105-90 and into the Western Conference Finals.

The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies four games to three in the best-of-seven second round series and advanced into the league semi-finals against the Dallas Mavericks, who will host game one on Tuesday.

"This was a physical series," Durant said.

"They relied on their big fellas. That helped us a lot (preparing for Dallas). We're excited to play the next series."

Russell Westbrook added 14 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which has the youngest team in the playoffs with an average age of 25.4 years per player.

"He has been doing this for us all year. Why stop now?" Durant said of Westbrook.

Durant scored 18 points in the first half to give the Thunder a 42-34 lead at half-time.

Memphis pulled within three points late in the third period before the Thunder pulled away for good.

"No matter if I was shooting 10-for-30, I was going to be aggressive," Durant said.

"My team-mates did a great job getting me the ball and I was able to get some good shots."

James Harden added 17 points for Oklahoma city while Nick Collison grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Thunder.

Mike Conley led Memphis with 18 points while Zach Randolph added 17 points and 10 rebounds and OJ Mayo contributed 14 points for the Grizzlies.

- AFP

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First posted May 16, 2011 09:00:00

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