The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their ongoing hot streak on Wednesday as they outlasted the Atlanta Hawks 100-92.
Led by brilliant performances by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant , the Thunder captured its 12th straight win, the longest winning streak for the franchise since 1996 when it had a 14-game winning streak as the Seattle SuperSonics.
During the game, Durant set a season high with 41 points while Westbrook chipped in 27 points and a game-high 11 assists. Durant, who scored 18 of his points in the fourth quarter alone, finished the game 14-for-23 from the floor, 4-for-8 from deep, and nailed nine of his 10 free throws. He also added 13 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
No other Thunder player scored in double figures.
“There’s going to be nights where one has the hot hand and there’s going to be other nights the other does,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks after Wednesday’s game.
Meanwhile for the Atlanta Hawks (15-8) guard Jeff Teague led the scoring with 19 points. Josh Smith had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Al Horford and Lou Williams each scored 13 points.
With the win, Oklahoma City (21-4) improved the NBA’s best record and atoned for a 104-95 home loss to the Hawks in early November.
ESPN notes that loss left Oklahoma City 1-2; it is 20-2 since then and hasn’t lost since November 23 at Boston. The Thunder’s next two games come on the road, a Thursday night visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves followed by a Christmas Day Finals rematch with LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
Check out highlights from Wednesday’s Oklahoma City Thunder vs Atlanta Hawks game in the video below: