Thunder pull away from Bulls
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Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant put on another efficient 35- point scoring display and added 12 rebounds and five assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Chicago Bulls, 97-85, on Monday.
Russell Westbrook, who sat out Sunday's 23-point loss to the Mavericks, netted 17 points and was one rebound and one assist away from a triple-double, while Serge Ibaka checked in with 15 points for the victors.
"Our transition game is predicated on getting stops. We did a good job making them miss a lot of shots," said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks, whose group held Chicago to 34.5 percent shooting.
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Carlos Boozer totaled 12 points and 11 assists for the Bulls, who got 16 points from Taj Gibson and finished their six-game homestand with a 3-3 mark.
The Bulls, wearing green jerseys in honor of St. Patrick's Day, entered the fourth quarter in a 74-67 hole but scored eight straight points following two Reggie Jackson free throws to pull within 76-75.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, their luck stopped there.
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They had two chances to take the lead, but Derek Fisher blocked Gibson under the basket and Jimmy Butler was off the mark on a 3-point try -- the first and second of 11 consecutive misses by Chicago.
Oklahoma City's subsequent 16-1 run, capped by Ibaka's dagger corner 3-pointer with just over three minutes to play, gave the Thunder a healthy 16-point cushion they did not relinquish.
Durant scored 10 points in the first quarter, including a step-back jumper just before the buzzer to break a 21-21 tie.
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"Durant is tough to guard," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "You have to guard him with your team."
A back-and-forth second ended with the Thunder still holding a two-point lead, 47-45, and Durant keyed an 8-0 run midway through the third that stretched Oklahoma City's lead to 69-58.
Game Notes
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Durant extended his consecutive games streak with 25-or-more points to 32 games, the longest in the NBA since Michael Jordan strung together 25-plus points in 40 straight games during the 1986-87 season ... The Thunder improved to 6-4 on the second night of a back-to-back ... The Thunder swept the season series and have won five straight meetings ... Oklahoma City shot 13-of-25 from behind the arc.