Basketball, Kevin Durant | featured news

The Kevin and Kobe show won it for the West at the NBA All-Star game, holding off LeBron James at the end.

The fortunate souls that were allowed to cram into a tiny gymnasium in Northeast Washington on Saturday weren’t just privy to the most anticipated basketball game since the NBA locked out its players in June, they were also witnesses to a game that truly mattered to the participants.

Kevin Durant scored 26 points, James Harden led an outburst by Oklahoma City's bench with 21, and the Thunder evened their series with Memphis by beating the Grizzlies 111-102 in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Kevin Durant matched his best playoff performance with 41 points, including the final nine for Oklahoma City, and the Thunder closed out their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets with a 100-97 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Kevin Durant scored 23 points, Russell Westbrook added 21 and the Oklahoma City Thunder built a huge first-half lead on their way to a 106-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 on Wednesday night.The first-round playoff series shifts to Denver on Saturday night with Oklahoma City leading 2-0.

The United States won their first world championship title in 16 years after beating hosts Turkey 81-64 in the final thanks to a majestic performance by 21-year-old forward Kevin Durant.

<

Chauncey Billups made the promise. Kevin Durant made sure it was kept. And by beating Russia on Thursday, the Americans brought a little joy to one of the players who will never forget what happened against the Soviets exactly 38 years earlier.

Before it can win a world championship, the United States needed to start looking like a world champion. Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups and the rest of the Americans finally had that appearance Monday, powering into the quarterfinals with a 121-66 victory over Angola.

Kevin Durant scored 14 points and got the United States started on a dominant second-quarter stretch in a 106-78 victory over Croatia on Saturday in its opening game at the world championship.

For young, established N.B.A. players, the possibility of not being needed on the national team can be an eye-opening experience.