DETROIT — NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant had his best shooting game since his return from injury Sunday as he and the Oklahoma City Thunder dealt Detroit a 12th straight defeat. The Thunder may still be adjusting to the return of Durant and Russell Westbrook, but a visit to the lowly Pistons proved a perfect opportunity to get things clicking. Durant, in his third game back from offseason surgery on a broken foot, scored 28 points as the Thunder beat the Pistons 96-94. Durant connected on 10 of 14 attempts from the floor while Westbrook scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists in his fourth game back after missing 14 with a broken hand. Westbrook amply demonstrated his fitness with a thunderous one-handed dunk in the fourth quarter, Serge Ibaka added 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who survived a late baseline miss from Westbrook when Detroit's Josh Smith was off on a three-pointer at the other end with 1.1 seconds to play. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 19 points to lead Detroit, whose 12 straight defeats are two shy of the club record. It was another disappointing finish for the Pistons, who were coming off an overtime loss to lowly Philadelphia Saturday. They also lost to Boston in overtime Wednesday. The last time the Pistons lost 12 on the trot was their 13-game skid from Dec. 15 2009-Jan. 12 2010. Grizzlies 103, Heat 87 The Memphis Grizzlies used a 17-3 run early in the final quarter to beat the slumping Miami Heat. The Heat (9-11) got within three points but ran out of gas to drop their fourth straight despite a game-high 25 points by Dwayne Wade.Reserve forward Jon Leuer led Memphis with a season-best 20 points as the Grizzlies (16-4) bounced back from their first home defeat of the season against San Antonio Friday. Celtics 101, Wizards 93 The Boston Celtics almost blew a 25-point second-half lead but held on for their third straight victory, nipping former captain Paul Pierce and his Washington Wizards. Guard Avery Bradley nailed a three-pointer from the right corner with 37 seconds left, after Pierce had missed one at the other end, and the Celtics (7-11) survived to halt a four-game winning streak for the Wizards (13-6). Hawks 96, Nuggets 84 The Atlanta Hawks built a 24-point lead in the third quarter on their way to a victory over the injury-depleted Denver Nuggets, who lost their third in a row. Forward Paul Millsap scored 23 points as the Hawks (13-6) posted their sixth consecutive victory, their longest winning streak in more than two years. Trail Blazers 103, Knicks 99 The Portland Trail Blazers started their five-game road trip with a win over the New York Knicks. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland (16-4) with 24 points, while Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points for the Knicks (4-18), who lost their eighth in a row. Mavericks 125, Bucks 102 The forward duo of Chandler Parsons and Dirk Nowitzki combined for 49 points, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a dominating victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavericks (16-6) won for the fifth time in six games, and they beat the Bucks (11-11) for the second time in five days. Pelicans 104, Lakers 87 Forward Anthony Davis scored 23 points, and point guard Jrue Holiday added 22 points guiding the New Orleans Pelicans to a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Guard Kobe Bryant scored 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting to lead six Lakers in double figures but it did not prevent Los Angeles (5-16) from losing a third game in a row. — Agencies
