Denver at Oklahoma City

Kevin Durant scored 27 points and out eight assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the Denver Nuggets 117-96 on Monday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Reggie Jackson registered 16 points and 11 assists, while Caron Butler scored in 23 points off the bench for the Thunder, who have won four straight and six of their last seven games.

Ty Lawson led Denver with 25 points and seven helpers, while Kenneth Faried put in 11 points and 11 boards for the Nuggets, who have dropped two of their last three games.

Denver led 13-10 just over five minutes in before the Thunder knocked down four consecutive 3-pointers, including two from Jackson, to take a 22-13 lead.

With the margin at 10 with just under two minutes left in the frame, Butler buried a trey and Derek Fisher followed with one of his own before Durant's three-point play helped send OKC into the second with a 41-24 spread.

Denver opened the second on a 10-0 run that Lawson capped with a triple, but the Thunder responded with eight straight points, culminating in Serge Ibaka's jumper that made it 49-34 with 8:32 left in the half.

OKC carried a 72-58 lead into halftime after shooting a scorching 28-of-47 from the floor, including 7-of-11 from long range, in the first half.

The Thunder clamped down defensively in the third, holding Denver to a 3-of-16 effort from the floor as they took a 90-73 advantage after three frames.

The Nuggets failed to get closer than 16 over the final 12 minutes.

[SportsNetwork.com]