Toronto Can't Contain Durant

Published on 22-Mar-2014 by Towner Park

Basketball - NBA    NBA Daily Update

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Toronto Can't Contain Durant

With Robin exiting the game early with a sprained knee, Batman seized total control.

Kevin Durant scored 51 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder squeaked by the Toronto Raptors, 119-118, in two overtimes at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto last night.

After colliding with the Raptors' Kyle Lowry in the third period, Russell Westbrook was forced to sideline himself with a injured right knee.

That's when Durant decided to re-assert himself offensively and do what he does best. Score.

Durant, amid a streak of 34 consecutive games with 25 or more points, showcased why he deserves his first NBA MVP, scoring 38 points after intermission.

Keep in mind, we haven't seen a streak like this since Michael Jordan managed to top the 25-point threshold 40 consecutive times during the 1986-87 regular season.

The game itself shouldn't have been this close, but Toronto isn't considered a cake-walk anymore. The Raptors are jockeying for the No 3 seed in the East and are a respectable 20-14 at home.

Despite this season's success, the Raptors squandered an opportunity to beat the No 2 seed in the West by allowing the Thunder to storm back from eight down with a little under a minute to play in the second overtime.

During that stretch, Derek Fisher nailed a three while Durant hit two critical treys of his own, one being the game-winner with less than two seconds to play.

Hopefully, this injury won't sideline Westbrook for long. The Thunder are exponentially better with him on the court. His ability to score in bunches helps relieve some of the offensive pressure that Durant usually shoulders.

Regardless, a win is a win, and the Thunder showed no quit during this victory.