Thunder beat Clippers in battle of Western powers

Kevin Durant scored 28 points and handed out eight assists to lead Oklahoma City to a 105-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in a battle of NBA Western Conference powers. Serge Ibaka added 17 points and Russell Westbrook scored 12 for the Thunder, who have won all five of their home games so far this season. Oklahoma City also avenged a 111-103 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles last week in a game that saw both Matt Barnes of the Clippers and Ibaka of the Thunder ejected after a shoving match in the first half. The Clippers lacked Barnes on Thursday. He needs surgery to repair a tear of the retina in his left eye that he suffered in a loss to Memphis on Monday. Barnes, who was averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, is expected to be sidelined for at least a fortnight. Clippers point guard Chris Paul extended his NBA-record streak with at least 10 points and 10 assists to start a season to 13 games. Paul had 17 points and 12 assists but it wasn't enough to prevent the Clippers from dropping their second decision in three games. Source:AFP