Thunder end Spurs’ 19-game winning streak
NBA: Kevin Durant scored 28 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat visiting San Antonio 106-94 on Thursday night, ending the Spurs’ winning streak at 19 games.
Russell Westbrook scored 27 points and Serge Ibaka added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder. Durant scored at least 25 points for the 39th consecutive game, the longest streak since Michael Jordan did it 40 consecutive times during the 1986-87 season. He reached 25 on a free throw with 3:31 remaining.
Patty Mills scored 21 points and Kawhi Leonard and Tim Duncan each added 17 for the Spurs. San Antonio had won its previous four games by an average of 23.5 points.
• Mavs hold off Clippers: Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Jose Calderon added 19 and the visiting Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-107.
Blake Griffin had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in his first triple-double of the season for the Clippers, who had won 17 of their previous 19, including four straight. They beat the Mavs in their first three meetings of the season, coming from behind each time.
• Timberwolves Cunningham arrested: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Dante Cunningham has been arrested on allegations of domestic assault.
Police say Cunningham was booked into Hennepin County Jail on Thursday morning. Charges have not been filed, but Cunningham is being held without bail. Police say the woman making the allegations did not require medical treatment.
Red Wings’ Nyquist joins elite company
NHL: Gustav Nyquist is in impressive company.
The Detroit Red Wings forward has scored 23 goals in 28 games after having just 63 NHL games of experience.
Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin and former NHL star Pavel Bure are the only two other players who have pulled off that feat since the 1989-90 season, according to STATS.
Nyquist says the only thing that matters to him is helping the Red Wings make the playoffs.
Thanks to the Swede’s breakout performance after starting the season in the minors, the short-handed team has a good chance to extend its postseason streak to 23.
• Blackhawks end slide, beat Wild: Marian Hossa scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the banged-up Chicago Blackhawks stopped a three-game slide with a 3-2 victory over the visiting Minnesota Wild.
Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford made 25 saves through overtime, and then stopped all three Minnesota attempts in the shootout. Hossa connected on the Blackhawks’ second attempt in the tiebreaker by powering a shot through Ilya Bryzgalov.
• Blue Jackets blank Flyers: Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 37 shots for his fourth shutout of the season, leading the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets to their first win in Philadelphia, 2-0 over the Flyers.
James Wisniewski and Brandon Dubinsky each scored goals for the Blue Jackets, who were 0-5-1 in Philadelphia since the franchise’s inception in 2000.
• Kadri lifts Leafs over Bruins in OT: Nazem Kadri scored 2:51 into overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the visiting Boston Bruins 4-3.
Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron scored for Boston, which lost back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 26 and March 1. Boston backup goalie Chad Johnson made 27 saves.
Bergeron tied the game at 12:51 of the third against backup goalie James Reimer, after Lucic scored 5:03 into the final period.
• Elliot, Blues beat Sabres: Brian Elliott stopped 24 shots, and the St. Louis Blues beat the visiting Buffalo Sabres 2-1 for their franchise-record 52nd victory.
Maxim Lapierre and Brenden Morrow scored as St. Louis improved to 14-2-0 in their last 16 games against Buffalo. The previous record for wins in a season belonged to the 1999-2000 Blues, who won 51 games on their way to their last Presidents’ Trophy.
• Barrie leads Avalanche over Rangers: Tyson Barrie scored in the final minute of regulation, and then scored again in the shootout, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the visiting New York Rangers.
Semyon Varlamov had 29 saves for Colorado, which has won five in a row. Varlamov also stopped each of New York’s attempts in the shootout.
Shanshan Feng leads Kraft Nabisco tourney
GOLF: Michelle Wie let a couple of shots slip away in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, leaving her a shot behind Shanshan Feng.
Tied for the lead after playing a four-hole stretch in 5 under, Wie lipped out a 3-foot par putt on the par-3 17th and settled for par and a 5-under 67 after her wedge approach released long on the par-5 18th.
Feng shot a 66 in perfect morning conditions at Mission Hills in the first major championship of the year. The 24-year-old Chinese player had seven birdies and a bogey.
• Mickelson in hunt at Houston Open: Phil Mickelson is among the leaders after shooting a bogey-free 4-under par 68 in his opening round of the Houston Open, showing no effects of the muscle pull that forced him to withdraw from last week’s Texas Open.
The five-time major winner, who practiced at Augusta National for two days this week in advance of the Masters, is three shots back of leaders Bill Haas and Charley Hoffman — both who shot 7-under 65.
Keegan Bradley and Matt Kuchar lead a group of five golfers at 6 under.
World No. 10 Dustin Johnson withdrew after an 8-over 80.
Williams ousted at Family Circle Cup
MISCELLANY: Venus Williams lost to Eugenie Bouchard 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-4 at the Family Circle Cup.
The 20-year-old Canadian lost her serve to Williams in the final set to fall behind 2-1. But Bouchard rallied with a break of her own to get back on track.
• NASCAR puts pressure of preserving tires: NASCAR will not regulate tire pressures at Texas Motor Speedway, and if drivers have tire failures during Sunday’s race, officials believe they won’t be able to blame Goodyear.
There were multiple tire issues at California two weeks ago, and many drivers tried to blame the product Goodyear brought to the track.
NASCAR insisted the issues were self-inflicted and a product of teams going far beyond the air pressure limits recommended by the manufacturer.
NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton says each team now controls its own fate.