The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the Miami Heat on the road 112-95. That was the final score of the game. In person, watching two superstars in Kevin Durant and LeBron James face off against each other during the game was worth the price of admission.
The ticket did not state James versus Durant, however they both were guarding each other at times on Wednesday night. James outscored Durant by 1, 34-33 however KD walked out with the win. “I’m just going out there and having fun, man,” Durant said. “I’m just trying to play. I’m not coming in saying, `I’ve got to do this.’ I’m not one of those guys that predetermines anything. I just go off how the game is played and the defense teams are throwing at me and just play and be aggressive that way. I’m just enjoying it and having fun with it and taking it a day at a time.” Durant has now scored at least 30 points in 12 straight games. The Thunder extended their winning streak to nine, pulling them closer to the Indiana Pacers in the race for the league’s best record.
The teams that faced off also met in the 2012 NBA Finals; LeBron picked up his first ring in a 4-1 series win. Coming into the game in 16 meetings between their teams to date, Durant outscored James nine times. But James’ teams are 13-3 in those games, including the 2012 Finals.
If tonight’s game was a preview of this year’s finals, Durant who is the leading MVP candidate has the squad to help him earn his first ring. Minus Russell Westbrook the Thunder led by as many as 25, and shot 16-for-27 from 3-point range. Miami was 3-for-19 from beyond the arc. And the Oklahoma City bench outscored Miami’s reserves 39-21, with Jeremy Lamb scoring 18 and Derek Fisher going 5-for-5 from 3-point range for his 15 points.
The superstars in the third quarter played a friendly one-on-one game of “get buckets.” In that period, both finished with 12 points in the 12 minutes. The difference was Durant’s team had more points on the scoreboard than James’. It was a sight to see in person, however it was only 12 minutes of a 48-minute basketball game. The Heat fell to 7-12 this season when allowing more than 100 points. They’re 25-1 when holding teams under 100. The Thunder are 8-0 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.
