Meanwhile, Lakers lose as Kobe Bryant makes his comeback.
With five games on the NBA schedule on Sunday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated a potential NBA Finals match-up against the Indiana Pacers.
Fresh from their win in San Antonio on Saturday, confidence was high within the Pacers camp as they rounded off their West Coast road trip with a stop off at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
However, Kevin Durant dropped 36 points on the visitors and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Thunder secured a 118-94 win to move to 15-4 for the season whilst also remaining unbeaten at home.
“I take everything personal, no matter who I’m playing,” Durant told reporters after the game. “I’m always grateful for the opportunity to play, so I never want to take it for granted.
“Of course, playing one of the best teams in the league, you’ve always got to bring it a little bit more, I guess, and tonight I think we all did that.”
It was the worst loss of the season so far for the Pacers who failed to recover after falling behind in the opening two quarters, but with Paul George scoring 32 points, they will hope to bounce back and continue on their quest to secure the best record in the league.
Elsewhere, the much anticipated return of Kobe Bryant finally arrived as he posted nine points and eight turnovers in 28 minutes of action against the Toronto Raptors.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they slipped to a 106-94 loss, but they will undoubtedly be delighted to have their biggest star back on the court as he looks to improve with playing time.
There were no such problems for the Miami Heat or the Houston Rockets who picked up wins against the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic respectively, but there was somewhat of a shock in New York.
Having won their previous two games by more than 30 points, the Knicks were in confident mood ahead of the visit of the Boston Celtics.
However, they slipped to a 41-point loss as they ultimately paid the price for a slow start that they were unable to recover from.
NBA Results:
Boston Celtics 114-73 New York Knicks
Miami Heat 110-95 Detroit Pistons
Orlando Magic 88-98 Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers 94-118 Oklahoma City Thunder
Toronto Raptors 106-94 Los Angeles Lakers
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