\ Beijing time on March 8, the Thunder narrowly defeated the Knicks 95-94 on the road.\ The Thunder (45-16) extended their winning streak to three games, having won six of their last seven. Kevin Durant [Weibo] scored 34 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 6 assists, while Russell Westbrook [Weibo] contributed 21 points and 6 rebounds but only 5 assists. Together, the duo had 12 turnovers. Serge Ibaka [Weibo] added 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Bench player Kevin Martin scored 16 points.\ The Knicks (37-22) saw their two-game win streak end. Carmelo Anthony [Weibo] continued to be absent, while bench player J.R. Smith scored 36 points. Raymond Felton had 16 points and was the only starter in double digits. Tyson Chandler [Weibo] posted 9 points and 10 rebounds. Amar'e Stoudemire [Weibo] scored 16 points and 8 rebounds, and Jason Kidd [Weibo] grabbed 10 rebounds.\ Durant and Anthony are the top two scorers in the league, averaging 28.6 and 28.2 points per game, respectively. The Knicks and Thunder faced off today, but Anthony's injury meant the matchup between the two stars didn't happen.\ Before and after the All-Star break, the Thunder had suffered a three-game losing streak, allowing an average of 113.7 points per game. Coach Brooks [Weibo] emphasized the need to strengthen defense, and in the last six games, they held opponents to an average of 95.2 points. Against the Knicks today, the Thunder successfully defended in the final quarter.\ James White [Weibo] hit a three-pointer shortly after the start, and veteran Thomas also made a mid-range shot, giving the Knicks a 5-0 lead. The Thunder didn't score until two minutes into the game, and after White hit another three-pointer, the Knicks were up 10-4. The Thunder quickly found their rhythm; Durant and Westbrook made shots in succession, and Ibaka scored under the basket. The Thunder went on a 16-0 run to take a 23-13 lead. After the first quarter, the Knicks trailed 26-35.\ Without Anthony, the Knicks weren't short on scorers. Smith has always been an important scorer off the bench, and today he thrived. Midway through the second quarter, Smith hit a three-pointer, followed by a mid-range shot, sparking the Knicks' comeback. The Thunder went nearly four minutes without a field goal, and with 3:37 left in the quarter, Kenyon Martin completed an alley-oop layup, tying the score at 48-48.After the Thunder responded with a 9-0 run, the Knicks hit two three-pointers in the last 40 seconds of the quarter. After Smith made a three-pointer, he also stole the ball from Durant in the final play, and the Knicks were only trailing 56-59 at halftime.\ In the first half, Smith scored 18 points, and Felton scored 12 points. Westbrook scored 19 points, Durant 13 points, and Ibaka 10 points.\ Stoudemire has been used frequently recently, and he took the opportunity to play aggressively under the basket, while the Knicks' new signing Kenyon Martin also performed well on defense. The Knicks took the lead in the third quarter, and with 3:55 left in the quarter, Smith hit another three-pointer, giving the Knicks a 71-69 lead. The Thunder did not score for four minutes, and the Knicks extended their lead to 75-69. In the last 35 seconds of the quarter, Smith made two more three-pointers, and his final shot went in despite tight defense, allowing the Knicks to end the third quarter leading 81-75.\ In the final quarter, the Thunder switched Durant to guard Smith, finally suppressing his hot streak, but the Knicks also strengthened their defense, and both sides played more intensely, exchanging the lead several times. With 1:50 left in the game, Stoudemire made both free throws, giving the Knicks a 94-83 lead. Martin then committed his sixth foul, and Durant made both free throws, putting the Thunder back in the lead.\ Westbrook made a critical steal, but Durant missed a shot, and after grabbing the offensive rebound, Westbrook's jumper also missed. After a time-out, the Knicks quickly launched an attack, but Smith's hurried three-pointer missed. Durant also missed a shot, and the Knicks grabbed the rebound with 7.9 seconds left on the clock.\ The final possession went to Smith. Facing Westbrook, he turned and jumped for a shot but missed, and the Knicks fell short.||2. Nuggets defeat Clippers at home to extend seven-game winning streak\Source: Sina Sports\[March 8, 2013, 14:15]\
\ On March 8, Beijing time, the Nuggets defeated the Clippers 107-92 at home [Weibo].\ The Nuggets (41-22) achieved their seventh consecutive win and 12th consecutive home win. Seven players scored in double figures. Ty Lawson recorded 21 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds; Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds; Andre Iguodala had 14 points and 7 assists; Kenneth Faried recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds.Substitutes Wilson Chandler [Weibo] and Andre Miller each scored 12 points, Cory Brewer [Weibo] scored 11 points.\The Clippers (44-20) ended their five-game winning streak on the road. Chris Paul [Weibo] scored 16 points with 10 assists, Blake Griffin [Weibo] scored 17 points, Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups each scored 8 points. Substitute Matt Barnes scored 19 points, Lamar Odom had 8 points and 10 rebounds, while Jamal Crawford was absent.\
The two most talented teams in the league met head-on. "Dunk City" challenged "Dunk City," and the game was far from dull. This was the third regular-season meeting between the two teams this season, and also the last. In the previous two games, each team won at home.\
The Nuggets were in great form, having previously won 11 consecutive home games, but the Clippers were also good on the road, having won five consecutive away games. The two teams went head-to-head, showing no signs of backing down from the start.\
The Nuggets got into the game faster. About halfway through the first quarter, Gallinari hit a three-pointer, and the Nuggets then launched a fast break, with Koufos slamming a one-handed dunk, giving the Nuggets a 17-9 lead. The Clippers gradually found their rhythm, Butler responded with a three-pointer, and Jordan later completed an alley-oop dunk, quickly closing the gap until the score was tied at one point. Miller scored a basket near the end of the quarter, giving the Nuggets a 27-25 lead.\
After five minutes into the second quarter, Odom scored 3 points from a combination of shots and free throws, putting the Clippers ahead 39-36. Faried boldly attacked the basket, drew a foul, and made two free throws, with Chandler then hitting a mid-range jumper to give the Nuggets a 40-39 lead again. The teams were evenly matched, and just before the end of the quarter, Iguodala dunked, tying the score at 49-49.\
Billups hit a three-pointer, giving the Clippers a 54-49 lead at the start of the third quarter, but their shooting percentage then dropped sharply. Lawson hit two consecutive three-pointers, sounding the alarm for the Nuggets' comeback, and Iguodala and Gallinari also started hitting threes, quickly putting the Nuggets ahead. With 4:04 left in the quarter, the Nuggets launched a fast break. Lawson passed long just past half-court, the ball sailed over Barnes' head, and Gallinari completed an alley-oop two-handed dunk, extending the Nuggets' lead to 77-64, forcing the Clippers to call a timeout.\
After the timeout, the Clippers missed consecutive shots, and after Gallinari's dunk, the Nuggets led by 15 points.Jordan and Griffin finally scored under the basket, then each succeeded in a 'three-pointer,' reducing the gap to single digits, but Jordan missed both free throws afterward. The Nuggets, with Brewer making a three-pointer, widened the gap again. After three quarters, the Clippers were trailing 75-85. In this quarter, the Nuggets made 6 three-pointers.\ Jamal Crawford was missing from the Clippers' bench, which was a huge blow to them, and with the starters' shooting percentage not high, it made matters worse. After 7 minutes into the fourth quarter, the Clippers had only scored 7 points, while the Nuggets expanded their lead to 97-82. With 4 minutes and 49 seconds left in the game, the Clippers finally had Butler hit a three-pointer, but Lawson immediately responded with a mid-range shot, and the Clippers could not find their rhythm. Barnes even missed a wide-open shot completely. The Nuggets increased their lead to 18 points, and the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.
