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CLEVELAND -- As the score tightened, Kevin Durant stayed loose. Sitting in his warm-ups on Oklahoma Citys bench, Durant knew he might be called upon again. And when he was, the NBAs leading scorer closed out Cleveland. "My minds always on the game so I didnt space out," he said. "I was instantly ready." Durant scored 35 points, finding his shooting touch after a rough start, and made five free throws in the final minute to shut down a furious, fourth-quarter comeback and give the Thunder their 50th win, 102-95 over the injury-riddled Cavaliers on Thursday night. Durant missed five of his first six shots, but finally got it going. He has scored 25 or more in 33 straight games -- the leagues longest streak since Michael Jordan did it 40 consecutive times (1986-87). With the win, the Thunder, who let a 24-point lead dwindle to five in the fourth, moved within 1 1/2 games of San Antonio for the best record in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City played without point guard Russell Westbrook, who rested his surgically repaired knee. Dion Waiters scored 30 and Spencer Hawes 20 for the Cavs, who trailed 95-71 with 6:34 left before going on a 21-2 run to pull within 97-92. Durant, though, who had re-entered with 3:34 to go, made his free throws to end Clevelands rally. When he took a seat after three quarters, Durant figured his night was done. "But that can happen in this league," Durant said. "Guys have pride and Cleveland plays extremely hard, so those guys made it a game late and we had to close it out." Cleveland played without injured star guard Kyrie Irving (strained biceps) and forward Luol Deng (sprained ankle). Durants performance came two nights after LeBron James dropped 43 points on Cleveland, which lost its season-high fourth straight at home and has seen its playoff chances disappear. Durant added 11 rebounds and six assists, his biggest to Serge Ibaka for a dunk with 1:54 left after the Cavs had closed within eight. With the Thunder ahead by 17 entering the fourth, Durant grabbed a seat after scoring 30 in 32 minutes. Oklahoma Citys reserves were having their way with the Cavs, but Cleveland quickly reeled off 11 in a row, forcing Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks to bring Durant back. Waiters steal and layup got Cleveland within five, but the Thunder made sure the ball went to Durant, who then put it away at the line. But not before the Thunder had their nerves frayed. "You hate to talk about the last few minutes," Brooks said. "So Im not going to." Reggie Jackson started for Westbrook and added 13 points. Derek Fisher had 12 and Jeremy Lamb 10. Durant had a very un-Durant-like start. He started 1-of-6 from the field and grew more and more agitated with every missed shot. Late in the first quarter, Durant, who had complained to the officials about not getting a call on a drive, grabbed an offensive rebound, dunked in frustration and got called for a technical. "I just dont care if I miss," Durant said. "I had it in my mind that I was going to start the game off 1 for 10. Thats how quickly it can change, man. I thought I might be in for a tough shooting night, but I always stay aggressive." With Deng, Clevelands top wing defender, out and down to just nine dressed players, Cavs coach Mike Brown knew his team would struggle to handle the multifaceted Durant. And when Alonzo Gee picked up his second personal foul less than two minutes into the game, Brown brought in pesky guard Matthew Dellavedova to guard the leagues leading scorer. Dellavedova, generously listed at 6-foot-4, did all he could to pester Durant and it worked -- for a while. "He didnt get under my skin," Durant said. "He plays hard, you can respect a player like that but I didnt pay him any attention" Brown was proud of the job Dellavedova did on Durant. "One thing Dellys going to do for sure is fight," Brown said. "Hes going to get up in your chest and hes going to bother you, hes going to show his hands so hes not going to foul you. He makes you work for points." NOTES: Brooks has been impressed with Caron Butler, who has played in eight games since signing with Oklahoma City on March 1. Scott said Butler is tough, experienced and fearless. "He can make shots and hes not afraid to take shots," Brooks said. "We like that." ... OKC centre Kendrick Perkins (left groin strain) missed his 12th consecutive game and G Thabo Sefolosha (left calf strain) sat out his ninth straight. ... Brown boycotted filling out an NCAA bracket because Butler, where his son Elijah plays, didnt make the field. "Its my own protest," Brown joked. "Im loyal." ... Dellavedova had 11 points and 10 assists. Cheap Bears Jerseys Authentic . -- Jerel Worthy and his Michigan State teammates charged across the field, holding four fingers in the air while celebrating another sweet victory over their biggest rival. Wholesale Chicago Bears Jerseys . Vinci also beat Dulgheru last week in Bucharest en route to her first WTA final in a year. Vinci next faces sixth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan, who beat Czech qualifier Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-2. No. http://www.cheapbearsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-dick-butkus-jersey . Compared to what hes gone through in recent weeks, that seemed like a breeze. Speaking to The Associated Press on Friday at an NBA Cares event, Silver said hes thrilled that the leagues attention can be on the championship series between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs -- and not, as it was for so much of the post-season, on the off-the-court matters involving the banishment of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and now the looming sale of that franchise. Richard Dent Jersey . Damyean Dotson, 19, Dominic Artis, 19 and Brandon Austin, 18, were suspended after the school received a police report concerning allegations made by a student who said she was assaulted by the players in early March. Walter Payton Jersey . - After three days of light, make that very light, workouts, Team Irvin and Team Carter are ready for tonights Pro Bowl.CLEVELAND -- As they debate what to do with the No. 1 draft pick, the Cavaliers made a significant first move in their coaching search. The team interviewed Chicago Bulls assistant coach Adrian Griffin for its coaching vacancy Tuesday, two people with knowledge of the meeting told the Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the situation. Griffin is believed to be the first candidate to formally interview with the Cavs, who are looking for their third coach in three years after owner Dan Gilbert fired Mike Brown last month for the second time in four years. And while the team was meeting with Griffin, Florida coach Billy Donovan, who has reportedly been contacted by the Cavs, wouldnt promise he will return for another season in Gainesville. "I think when you start making guarantees about life and start making guarantees about where youre going to be, thats not good because if for some reason I ever change my mind and did something, I wouldnt want (people) saying, Well, he promised, he guaranteed, he said this on record," Donovan said at the Southeastern Conferences annual spring meetings. "I just think when you start doing that, thats a mistake." The 39-year-old Griffin wasnt drafted out of college, but he played for five teams during nine seasons in the NBA. He has been on Tom Thibodeaus staff in Chicago since 2010. He also worked under former Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles. Griffins background working with the defensive-minded Thibodeau and Skiles, and playing under Jeff Van Gundy and Don Nelson makes him an attractive choice to Gilbert, who believes defence wins championships. New Cavs general manager David Griffin has said he wants to find a coach with "the defensive background thats dyed in the wool of this franchise" and one with offensive openness. The Cavs, who defied long odds to win the NBA draft lottery last week, are not commenting during their coaching search. Soon after Brown was let go following a disappointing 33-49 seasonn, Griffin was one of the first candidates to be linked to Clevelands opening.dddddddddddd He has a good rapport with players, and can identify with life as a pro after being bounced around the league and playing in Europe. Griffin has been pursuing his doctorate in leadership studies while working as an assistant. Last week, a person familiar with the Cavaliers plans told the AP the club plans to interview Los Angeles Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry this week. He previously worked in Phoenix with David Griffin. The Cavs are also reportedly interested in meeting with Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue, and intend to interview former Memphis coach Lionel Hollins later this week. David Griffin recently said the Cavs would not limit themselves during the search and would consider coaches without any NBA experience. One of them could be Donovan, who said last week he has been approached by "several teams." On Tuesday, the Gators coach said hes committed to the school -- he signed a three-year extension in February -- but didnt rule out the chance to jump to the pros at some point. Donovan accepted Orlandos job in 2007 but changed his mind and returned to Florida six days later. While Donovan made it clear hes comfortable at the school, hes leaving his options open for the future. "All I can say is I love Florida, Im happy here ... the schools been great to me," he said. "But at the same point, some of the NBA stuff, as Ive said before, is intriguing in a lot of ways -- the basketball part of it. Thats not to say that Im unhappy here; thats not the case at all. "But when people start getting into forecasting where theyre going to be or what theyre going to do, and Ive seen a lot of coaches over the years come out and say, No, no, no, no, Im not going anywhere, Im not going anywhere, and then all of a sudden they go somewhere and its like, Well, this guy is a complete liar. I dont want to get into that situation. Theres been some teams that have called, but thats really it." 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