National Basketball Association
Oklahoma City 109, Phoenix 97
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Officials:
#30 John Goble, #23 Jason Phillips, #52 Scott Twardoski
Attendance:
14873
By SportsDirect Inc.
THUNDER 109, SUNS 97: James Harden scored a career-high 40 points on 12-of-17 shooting as visiting Oklahoma City kept pace atop the Western Conference. Phoenix dropped out of the top eight in the conference.
Kevin Durant added 29 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for the Thunder (45-17), who remain one-half game behind the San Antonio Spurs (45-16). Oklahoma City has two left on its five-game road trip before finishing with two at home.
The Suns (32-30) remain tied with the Houston Rockets (32-30) but fell one-half game behind the Utah Jazz (33-30) for the final playoff spot.
Harden had gone 10 straight games without reaching 20 points and had taken some criticism recently for his struggles. The third-year swingman answered the critics on Wednesday, going 5 for 8 from 3-point range and 11 for 11 from the free throw line while chipping in seven rebounds.
Phoenix had pulled within 82-77 at the start of the fourth quarter when Harden took over. After Derek Fisher made three free throws, Harden scored the next eight points for the Thunder and assisted on the following two baskets before burying a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 101-86 with 7:11 left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Jared Dudley scored 21 points to lead the Suns while Steve Nash was held to 12 points, five assists and five turnovers. … Oklahoma City went 31 for 34 from the free throw line. … The Suns play three of their final four games at home, with the lone road test coming at Utah next Tuesday.
Top Game Performances
| Oklahoma City |
|
Phoenix |
|
James Harden 40 |
Scoring |
Jared Dudley 21 |
|
Kevin Durant 5 |
Assists |
Steve Nash 5 |
|
Kevin Durant 11 |
Rebounds |
Marcin Gortat 12 |
|
James Harden 11 |
Free Throws Made |
Jared Dudley 5 |
|
James Harden 4 |
Steals |
Shannon Brown 1 |
|
Kevin Durant 2 |
Blocks |
Channing Frye 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Oklahoma City
|
109 |
45.0 |
6-16 |
31-34 |
17 |
46 |
6 |
8 |
15 |
| Phoenix
|
97 |
41.0 |
6-20 |
23-32 |
18 |
43 |
4 |
3 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game at home against L.A. Clippers. The Suns have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Oklahoma City will play their next game on the road against Sacramento. The Thunder have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.