Thunder streak reaches a dozen…’Melo scores 31 in return
UNDATED (AP) — Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were responsible for 68% of Oklahoma’s points Wednesday night, sending the Thunder to their 12th straight win.
Durant poured in a season-high 41 points on 14-of-23 shooting and had 13 rebounds as the Thunder topped the Hawks 100-92 in Atlanta. Westbrook added 27 points and 11 rebounds while helping the Thunder improve to a NBA’-best 21-4.
The winning streak matches the longest for the franchise since 1996, when it had a 14-game winning streak as the Seattle SuperSonics.
The Los Angeles Clippers ran their winning streak to a franchise record-tying 11 games with an easy win over New Orleans, which dropped its ninth in a row.
The Clippers are 19-6 after Blake Griffin scored 18 points and Jamal Crawford added 17 in a 93-77 win over the Hornets. Chris Paul had 12 assists to surpass 5,000 for his career as the Clippers matched the club-record winning streak set by the 1974-75 Buffalo Braves.
The New York Knicks had Carmelo Anthony back in the lineup following a two-game absence due to an ankle sprain.
Anthony helped the Knicks improve to 11-1 at home by scoring 31 points in a 100-86 win over Brooklyn. J.R. Smith added 19 points and Tyson Chandler had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who bounced back from their first home loss Monday against Houston.
The outcome keeps the Knicks atop the Eastern Conference at 19-6.
The Nets have dropped eight of 10 since an 11-4 start.
The NBA slate includes Indiana’s 104-84 romp over Utah. Paul George finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, while Gerald Green added a season-high 21 points.
Zach Randolph had 15 points and 17 rebounds as Memphis topped Milwaukee 90-80. Marc Gasol added 12 points and 12 rebounds to the Grizzlies’ third straight win.
Charlotte’s losing streak has grown to an NBA season-high 13 games after Shannon Brown scored a season-high 26 points to lead Phoenix past the Bobcats 121-104. Goran Dragic added 21 points and Jared Dudley had 20 in the Suns’ fourth straight win.
Sacramento ended a five-game losing streak as DeMarcus Cousins scored 24 points and Aaron Brooks had 23 in a 131-127 win over Golden State. Brooks hit a pair of three-pointers in the final minute after the Kings blew a 15-point lead.
Houston was a 125-103 winner against Philadelphia as James Harden chipped in 33 points and seven assists. Toney Douglas hit five 3-pointers and scoring all 17 of his points in the final period.
J.J. Redick scored 17 points and fellow reserve E’Twaun Moore had 15 to lead Orlando past Washington 90-83. Redick had four 3-pointers in leading the Magic to their fourth straight win.
Boston’s Paul Pierce scored 25 of his season-high 40 points in the second half of a 103-91 win over Cleveland. Rajon Rondo had 20 points and eight assists as the Celtics ended a three-game skid.
Alan Anderson scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help Toronto close out its fourth straight win, a 97-91 decision over Detroit. DeMar DeRozan finished with 23 points and Jose Calderon had 17 assists.
Nowitzki practices, still unsure of return
DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki has gone through his first full practice with the Dallas Mavericks since undergoing knee surgery that forced the 11-time All-Star to miss every game so far this season.
After practice, Nowitzki gave no real timetable on when he might make his season debut, except to say “maybe any time after Christmas.”
Nowitizki had arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right knee Oct. 19.
Griffin takes full practice for Redskins
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Robert Griffin III has taken part in his first full practice since spraining his right knee. The Washington Redskins quarterback said he did all of his usual work as the team held its first workout ahead of this week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Coach Mike Shanahan said doctors will examine Griffin’s knee on Thursday to see if there’s any swelling. He could then be cleared to play against the Eagles.
Washington has won five in a row to move into a three-way tie atop the NFC East.
Elsewhere around the league:
— LeSean McCoy will start at running back for the Eagles against Washington in his first game back after missing four because of a concussion. Michael Vick will be the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Nick Foles and Trent Edwards because of his extended layoff.
— Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall returned to practice after serving a one-game suspension for deciding not to show up at Heinz Field for Pittsburgh’s game with the San Diego Chargers on Dec. 9. Mendenhall, who was inactive during the game, declined to talk about his decision to stay away but later added “there’s a lot of thought” that goes into anything he does.
— Running back Trent Richardson of the Browns doesn’t think his college coach, Alabama’s Nick Saban, will follow him to Cleveland. Saban will lead the Crimson Tide against Notre Dame in the BCS national championship game and has been mentioned as a possible replacement in Cleveland if the Browns fire second-year coach Pat Shurmur at season’s end.
— Giants receiver Victor Cruz hopes meeting with the family of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Connecticut school shootings has helped them cope with the tragedy. Cruz described to reporters his meeting with Jack Pinto’s family and said he was most affected when asked about their decision to bury their son in his No. 80 jersey. The family said Cruz was their son’s favorite player.
Angels and M’s pull off deal/Red Sox sign Dempster
UNDATED (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki will remain with the New York Yankees after the 10-time Gold Glove outfielder accepted a two-year, $13 million contract. The 39-year-old will make $6.5 million in each of the next two seasons and needs 394 hits to reach 3,000 for his major league career. Suzuki’s batting average jumped from .261 with the Mariners to .322 with the Yankees, with five homers, 27 RBIs and 14 steals.
In other baseball news:
— The Los Angeles Angels have traded Kendrys Morales to the Seattle Mariners for left-hander Jason Vargas. The 29-year-old Morales. Morales hit .273 with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs last season. Vargas led Seattle in wins last season, going 14-11 with a 3.85 ERA.
— The Red Sox have signed right-hander Ryan Dempster to a two-year contract. The signing came six days after two people familiar with the negotiations said Dempster had agreed to a $26.5 million deal. The 35-year-old has pitched more than 200 innings in four of the past five seasons. He went 12-8 with a 3.38 ERA this year playing for the Cubs and Rangers.