NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder bounce back with 112-100 victory against New York Knicks
Kevin Durant stared with 41 points as Oklahoma City Thunder returned to form by defeating the New York Knicks 112-100.
Last Updated: 10/02/14 9:00am
After an agonising single-point defeat on Friday against a struggling Orlando Magic, Thunder returned to form in a Sunday matinee which pitched the league's two highest scorers against each other.
It was Durant who led the way at Madison Square Gardens, with 10 rebounds and nine assists as Thunder moved to the top of the NBA Northwest conference.
Reggie Jackson added 19 points and six assists, while Serge Ibaka had 16 points and nine rebounds for the visitors.
Durant, the league's leading scorer, got the best of his battle with Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, the league's No 2 scorer.
Anthony finished with 15 points on 5-for-19 shooting for the New York side, who now have lost four of five.
Raymond Felton and Amar'e Stoudemire each scored 16 points for the Knicks, but it was not enough to rescue New Yorkers.
Winning streak
In other action, Nik Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds as the lowly Orlando Magic came back from a 17-point deficit to edge a 93-92 triumph over Central leaders the Indiana Pacers to extend their winning streak to three matches.
Northwest Division leaders the Los Angeles Clippers claimed a comfortable 123-78 win at home to the Philadelphia 76ers - their largest margin of victory in franchise history.
Blake Griffin impressed with 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Clippers at Staples Center as they condemned Philadelphia to their sixth straight defeat.
Centre Joakim Noah scored 20 points and 13 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 92-86.
Forward Dirk Nowitzki top scored with 20 points as the Dallas Mavericks ran out 102-91 winners against the Boston Celtics to record their fifth consecutive victory in the Southwest Division.
Rajon Rondo recorded his 4,000th career assist in the second quarter for Boston - becoming just the sixth Celtic to reach that milestone.
The Brooklyn Nets claimed a 93-81 victory over the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, the Cleveland Cavaliers won 91-83 at home to the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Washington Wizards overcame the Sacramento Kings 93-84 in Washington.