Kevin Durant, Thunder overwhelm Heat, 112-95

Down by 18 points midway through the opening quarter, Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder looked well on their way to witnessing a rout.

That’s exactly what happened. And they enjoyed every moment.

Durant remained sizzling with 33 points, Serge Ibaka had 22 and the Thunder roared back to embarrass the Miami Heat, 112-95, on Wednesday night at Miami, erasing a 22-4 deficit by outscoring the two-time defending champions by 43 points over a 33-minute span.

The Thunder led by as many as 25, and shot 16 for 27 from three-point range. Durant has now scored at least 30 points in 12 straight games, matching the league’s longest such streak since Tracy McGrady had a run of 14 games in the 2002-03 season.

The Thunder (37-10) extended its winning streak to nine, inching closer to Indiana in the race for the league’s best record. And the Oklahoma City bench outscored Miami’s reserves 39-21, with Derek Fisher going five for five on three-pointers for his 15 points.

Phoenix 126, at Milwaukee 117: Goran Dragic scored 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter despite sustaining an apparent injury to his left elbow, and the Suns won their third in a row to begin a four-game trip.

at Minnesota 88, New Orleans 77: Kevin Love had 30 points and 14 rebounds to carry the Timberwolves over the .500 mark for the first time in 11 chances. The Pelicans were without Anthony Davis (dislocated left index finger).

Houston 117, at Dallas 115: Chandler Parsons scored 26 points and the Rockets won again without James Harden, despite the Mavericks getting 38 points and 17 rebounds from Dirk Nowitzki.

Chicago 96, at San Antonio 86: Jimmy Butler had 19 points and Carlos Boozer added 16 points and 12 rebounds and the Bulls handed the injury-riddled Spurs their third straight loss.

Philadelphia 95, at Boston 94: Evan Turner’s layup at the buzzer gave the 76ers a victory in a matchup of the two worst teams in the Atlantic Division.

Memphis 99, at Sacramento 89: Mike Conley had 27 points and 10 assists as the Grizzlies won their fourth in row.

Charlotte 101, at Denver 98: Al Jefferson matched a season high with 35 points, including a key basket in the final seconds, and also had 11 rebounds for his 14th double-double in 22 games.

at Toronto 98, Orlando 83: Kyle Lowry scored a season-high 33 points and dished out 11 assists, Amir Johnson had 22 points and 11 rebounds and the Raptors beat the Magic for the fifth time in a row.