NBA scores 2013: Thunder strike Clippers, Nuggets’ bench goes off

Kevin Durant and the Thunder struck revenge against the Clippers while the Nuggets’ bench held off the Bulls.

Nov 22, 2013, 1:00 PM UTC

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

There were just two games of NBA action Thursday night as part of a TNT double-header. The Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder dueled in a battle of Western Conference powers, and the Chicago Bulls visited the Denver Nuggets to cap off the night.

Take it away, Shaqfall GIF:

Oklahoma City Thunder 105, Los Angeles Clippers 91

The Los Angeles Clippers lost to a good basketball team in the second game of a back-to-back. These things happen. What normally doesn't happen? Derek Fisher layups. Good work, Clippers:

Blake Griffin’s 27 points and Chris Paul’s 17 points and 12 assists couldn’t overcome a porous defense that allowed the Thunder to shoot 51.9 percent from the field.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 28 points while also dishing out eight assists and grabbing six rebounds. Russell Westbrook continues to struggle from the field since returning from injury. He missed all six of his three-point attempts and made five of his 13 shots on the night.

Jamal Crawford had a big game off the bench for the Clippers, scoring 18 points and notching four assists, but the remaining reserves scored 10 points total.

Oh, and Byron Mullens wasn't feeling particularly friendly after the game. Poor Steven Adams had to shake his own hand:

Denver Nuggets 97, Chicago Bulls 87

The Nuggets’ bench dropped 49 points on the Bulls, led by Jordan Hamilton’s 17 points. Chicago scored just 14 points in the third quarter and gave up a 13-0 run to open the fourth, and the game was over in the blink of an eye.

The good news for Chicago? Derrick Rose was great at finishing around the rim. The bad news? He was pretty horrendous everywhere else. Here's his shot chart on the night:

Chicago's offense struggled, shooting 38 percent overall from the field. Luol Deng went 3-of-18 while Carlos Boozer went 7-of-18. Mike Dunleavy scored 15 points, starting at shooting guard in place of Jimmy Butler. Joakim Noah's line was pretty sweet, though: 11 points, 12 rebounds, and a near triple-double with a game-high eight assists.

Denver had six players in double-figures scoring, Chicago had three players in double-digit missed shot attempts. That about sums up what happened here.