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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant drained three 3-pointers in 75 seconds. And when the crowd wanted even more, the NBAs leading scorer responded. Durant poured in a career-high 54 points in an incredibly efficient performance, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors 127-121 on Friday night. The 6-foot-9 forward had 11 points during one two-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, powering the Thunder to a 17-point lead. With the crowd of 18,203 chanting "MVP! MVP!" he made two foul shots with 2:45 remaining to establish a new career-best scoring total. "When youve got it going, I look at the bench and see how my teammates are reacting, and that just gives me an extra push," Durant said. "Then, I hear the fans." Durant made 19 of 28 field goals and 11 of 13 free throws in his third straight game with at least 36 points. "As a leader, my main objective is to serve my teammates, help them out," he said. "Some nights, Ive got to put it up, Ive got to score. Some nights, Ive got to do other things. Tonight, they found me and I was able to hit a few shots. I just tried to do as best as I can to lead the team and lead us to victory." It was the kind of performance that gets fans fired up about post-season awards in mid-January. "Its premature," Durant said. "Its way too early in the season. I try not to think about that type of stuff. Of course, as a player, youd love to win an MVP award, but I cant take my focus off the team. Every day, Ive just got to keep chipping away, keep enjoying the process, and well see what happens." Serge Ibaka had 21 points and eight rebounds, Reggie Jackson scored 14 points and Kendrick Perkins added 12 rebounds for the Thunder (30-10), who won for the third time in four games. Oklahoma City shot 58 per cent from the field and scored a season-high point total. Stephen Curry had 37 points and 11 assists, and Klay Thompson added 26 points for the Warriors (25-16), who shot 52 per cent but simply couldnt match up with Durant. "We battled him for the most part, and he got hot in the fourth and knocked down some big shots for them," Warriors centre Andrew Bogut said. "Theres a reason why hes a perennial All-Star and future Hall of Famer, and possibly MVP this year." Golden State coach Mark Jackson was disappointed with his teams defence. "Were a good enough defensive team to give a little better effort, fight a little bit harder," Jackson said. Oklahoma City led 39-32 at the end of the first quarter after shooting 78.3 per cent from the field. It had a 71-65 advantage at the break after a season high for points in a half for the Thunder. Curry had 22 points and eight assists in the first half and Thompson scored 21 points before the break. The Warriors made 10 of 16 3-pointers in the first half to stay in the game. Andre Iguodala scored his first points of the game on a steal and dunk that cut Oklahoma Citys lead to 82-79 midway through the third, but the Thunder steadily pulled away the rest of the period. A mid-range jumper by Durant pushed Oklahoma Citys advantage to 96-86, and the Thunder led 101-91 heading into the final quarter. Durant then closed by scoring 15 points in the fourth. "You let a guy like KD, he leads the league in scoring, start off the game as hot as he did . It was tough to start off the game like that and then try to get stops against a dynamic scorer like that, especially when hes hitting everything," Curry said. Durant gave his teammates credit. "Its the small things that go into a game to help us win, and everybody did them tonight," he said. NOTES: The previous two meetings between the Thunder and Warriors were decided by last-second shots. In the first game on Nov. 14, Iguodala hit a fallaway game-winning jumper for Golden State. In the second game, on Nov. 29, Russell Westbrook hit the game-winner in overtime. ... Golden State G Jordan Crawford played for the first time since being acquired from Boston in a three-team trade. He finished with eight points in 15 minutes. ... Former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture attended the game. ---- Nike React Element 55 Australia . Bobrovsky posted a 2-0-1 record with a 1.58 goals-against average and .950 save percentage to help the Blue Jackets (35-26-6) gain five of a possible six points last week. He capped the week by making 32 saves and stopping 2-of-4 shootout attempts in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Nike React Presto Australia . PAUL, Minn – The clock lingered for what seemed like an interminable two minutes and 51 seconds before Mark Fraser finally escaped to the bench during a wildly one-sided first period of an eventual loss to Boston. http://www.airforce1shoesaustralia.com/ . Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. Air Force 1 Low Sale .C. -- With a chance to start over and maybe drive in any series he wanted, Juan Pablo Montoya thought long and hard about what mattered most at this stage of his career. Nike React Presto Cheap . Its the second of three meetings between these teams this season. Vancouver was a 2-1 winner on home ice December 22nd. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Dean Anna wasnt nervous during a key at-bat in extra innings. He was enjoying it. Anna drew a bases-loaded walk on a full-count pitch with two outs in the 12th inning and Carlos Beltran followed with a two-run single as the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 on Sunday. "I was having fun," Anna said. "Baseball is all about moments, and that was a moment right there." Yangervis Solarte was walked by Heath Bell (0-1) to open the 12th. After failing twice to bunt against C.J. Riefenhauser, Brett Gardner reached on a fielders choice and went to third on Brian McCanns two-out single. Jacoby Ellsbury was intentionally walked before Anna checked his swing to complete an eight-pitch at-bat and drive in the go-ahead run. "Just a tremendous at-bat," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Tough situation." Beltran had his hit off Josh Leuke before Alfonso Soriano added an RBI single that made it 5-1. Preston Claiborne (1-0) went two scoreless innings for the Yankees. The teams split a wild four-game series. After the Yankees beat David Price and the Rays 10-2 in Thursdays opener, Tampa Bay rebounded for 11-5 and 16-1 victories Friday and Saturday. Derek Jeter opened the 11th with a single off Bell. Ichiro Suzuki pinch-ran for Jeter and stole second with one out, but Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon challenged the call and after a 2 minute, 4 second delay the umpires changed the close call to out. "Im taking a chance to get a run there," Girardi said. "Ich probably had a better chance of stealing a base. Its a hard decision, but some of the inexperience I have in my bullpen, I went for it that inning." New York took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Gardner was given an RBI double after a challenge by Girardi. The umpires first ruled that Rays right fielder Wil Myers had caught Gardners drive at the wall for the third out. The call was overturned following a 2:17 delay after replays clearly showed Myers caught the ball after it hit off the top of the wall. Gardner thought an inside-the-park homer might have been in order, buut still was happy that replay was used.dddddddddddd "If we dont have it, it would be a flyball," Gardner said. Soriano, who opened the fourth with a double, was on third and was awarded home on the overturned decision. Tampa Bay tied it at 1 on pinch-hitter Matt Joyces two-out sacrifice fly in the seventh. The Rays capitalized after second baseman Brian Roberts dropped a throw on a force play earlier in the inning. "Weve been swinging the bats so well and today we were just minus," Maddon said. "Theres really no solid explanation. I cant stand here and say the Yankees pitched great. We just did not have a good offensive day." New York starter Vidal Nuno, in the mix to take the spot of injured starter Ivan Nova, allowed three hits over five shutout innings. The Yankees put Nova, who was hurt in Saturdays game, on the 15-day disabled list with a partial ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow that could require surgery. Cesar Ramos, who replaced the injured Matt Moore in the Rays rotation, gave up one run and four hits in five innings. Moore is scheduled to have elbow ligament replacement surgery Tuesday. Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira had a second-inning single in his first at-bat and finished 2 for 5 after being activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game. Teixeira hurt an adductor muscle that runs alongside the hamstring trying to make a play on a foul grounder during an April 4 game against Toronto. NOTES: Riefenhauser was optioned to Triple-A Durham after the game to make room for RHP Juan Carlos Oviedo (elbow surgery) to come off the DL Tuesday. ... Tampa Bay CF Desmond Jennings (groin) was out of the lineup for the third straight game. ... Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (2-0) and Red Sox LHP Jon Lester (2-2) will start in the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park Tuesday night. ... Rays LHP David Price (2-1) and Minnesota RHP Kyle Gibson (3-0) will pitch Tuesday night to start a three-game series. ... Olympic swimmer Katie Hoff got a marriage proposal from her boyfriend just before throwing the ceremonial first pitch. ' ' '