Sonstiges » Ibaka added 20 points and Westbrook had 13

LOS ANGELES -- Kevin Durant scored 36 points, Russell Westbrook added 23 and the Oklahoma City Thunder outplayed the Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter for a 118-112 victory Friday night and a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal. Serge Ibaka added 20 points and Westbrook had 13 assists for the Thunder in a game that neither team ever led by double digits. Blake Griffin scored 34 points, and Chris Paul added 21 points and 16 assists for the Clippers, who saw their four-point lead disappear for good early in the fourth quarter. Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford added 20 points. Oklahoma City led 113-107 on Durants turnaround jumper with 1:23 left. It followed Westbrooks 3-pointer after the Clippers had closed within 108-107 when Griffin muscled in for a layup. Game 4 is Sunday at Staples Center. The Thunder shot 56 per cent, and controlled the paint and fastbreak points against a Clippers team that never got into their favoured run-and-gun mode. J.J. Redick, who got off to a hot start in Game 2, was held to five points on 1-of-6 shooting. DeAndre Jordan was never a factor for the Clippers either, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Matt Barnes gave them a lift with 14 points. The Thunder gradually pulled away in the fourth, scoring eight straight points, including Durants three-point play, to take the lead for good. Former Clipper Caron Butler hit three 3-pointers to give his team the lead and then extend it. Emotions boiled in the third, with double technicals called on Barnes and Kendrick Perkins, who stared hard at each other. Perkins took a step toward Barnes but got pushed away by Westbrook. By then, Griffin was already bloodied. He got hit in the face by Ibaka, but the only call by the referees was 3 seconds on the Clippers. Griffin held a towel to his gushing nose and changed his jersey during a timeout. The Clippers rallied at the end of the period, outscoring the Thunder 8-0 to take a 90-86 lead. They did it on free throws except for Griffins basket. Reggie Jackson was called for a foul and a technical, and then Durant fouled Crawford on a 3-point attempt with less than a second left. He made all three. Neither team led by more than seven points in the first half, when the lead changed hands 14 times and there were seven ties. Ibaka had three fouls and Thabo Sefolosha two for the Thunder. NOTES: Shelly Sterling, the estranged wife of banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling, attended the game. Her lawyer has said she wants to retain her financial interest in the team. ... Paul tied Elton Brands franchise record for most double-doubles in the playoffs with his sixth. ... Paul and Durant earned double technicals late in the first half after using expletives. ... Clippers F Hedo Turkoglu, out with a hairline fracture in his lower back, was able to pull on his gym shorts Friday, but coach Doc Rivers said its not looking good for him to return. ... Earlier Friday, the NBA hired Dick Parsons as the Clippers interim CEO. He is former chairman of Citigroup and Time Warner. Rivers said Parsons "is a very good hire." ... Rivers handed Crawford his Sixth Man of the Year trophy at centre court before the game. ... Among the famous faces were Rihanna, former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer, Billy Crystal, producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi, who pulled out his medal as the crowd cheered. Cesar Azpilicueta Chelsea Jersey . Leave it to Matt Niskanen, the newly proclaimed Eddie Haskell of the Washington Capitals. Callum Hudson-Odoi Chelsea Jersey . Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. http://www.chelseafcproshop.com/Kids-David-Luiz-Jersey/ . 28 with a Vancouver entry for the first time in 10 years and a novel new collective bargaining agreement. Marcin Bulka Jersey .Voegele will next play Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia, who saved 10 of 16 break points to defeat Annika Beck of Germany 7-6 (6), 6-4.Also, Marina Erakovic of New Zealand defeated eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Jorginho Chelsea Jersey . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal.SEATTLE -- Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia refuted reports of a rift with general manager Jerry Dipoto over differences in opinion regarding moves by the organization. A report from FOXSports.com Friday stated that the Angels are expected to replace either Scioscia or Dipoto because of continuing "philosophical differences" between the two men. Scioscia claimed Saturday such a rift doesnt exist. "Theres no philosophical differences," Scioscia said. "Jerry and I are certainly, as far as our baseball philopsophies, in line." Scioscia said the only decision hes publicly had a problem with was the firing of hitting coach Mickey Hatcher in MMay 2012.dddddddddddd Beyond that, Scioscia said the rest is just normal disagreements regarding player evaluations that are common in any relationship between a manager and GM. "Youre not going to agree on everything. Thats healthy," Scioscia said. "You have to have conversation. Youve got to throw it on the table and just see if it has merit, talk about it, peel the paint off of it and I feel thats happening." Scioscia believes both sides have moved on from the decision to let Hatcher go and he still believes his relationship with Dipoto is sustainable. "I think its a normal general manager-manager relationship," Scioscia said. ' ' '