LOS ANGELES -- Kevin Durant scored 36 points, Russell Westbrook added 23 and the Oklahoma City Thunder outplayed the Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter for a 118-112 victory Friday night and a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal. Serge Ibaka added 20 points and Westbrook had 13 assists for the Thunder in a game that neither team ever led by double digits. Blake Griffin scored 34 points, and Chris Paul added 21 points and 16 assists for the Clippers, who saw their four-point lead disappear for good early in the fourth quarter. Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford added 20 points. Oklahoma City led 113-107 on Durants turnaround jumper with 1:23 left. It followed Westbrooks 3-pointer after the Clippers had closed within 108-107 when Griffin muscled in for a layup. Game 4 is Sunday at Staples Center. The Thunder shot 56 per cent, and controlled the paint and fastbreak points against a Clippers team that never got into their favoured run-and-gun mode. J.J. Redick, who got off to a hot start in Game 2, was held to five points on 1-of-6 shooting. DeAndre Jordan was never a factor for the Clippers either, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Matt Barnes gave them a lift with 14 points. The Thunder gradually pulled away in the fourth, scoring eight straight points, including Durants three-point play, to take the lead for good. Former Clipper Caron Butler hit three 3-pointers to give his team the lead and then extend it. Emotions boiled in the third, with double technicals called on Barnes and Kendrick Perkins, who stared hard at each other. Perkins took a step toward Barnes but got pushed away by Westbrook. By then, Griffin was already bloodied. He got hit in the face by Ibaka, but the only call by the referees was 3 seconds on the Clippers. Griffin held a towel to his gushing nose and changed his jersey during a timeout. The Clippers rallied at the end of the period, outscoring the Thunder 8-0 to take a 90-86 lead. They did it on free throws except for Griffins basket. Reggie Jackson was called for a foul and a technical, and then Durant fouled Crawford on a 3-point attempt with less than a second left. He made all three. Neither team led by more than seven points in the first half, when the lead changed hands 14 times and there were seven ties. Ibaka had three fouls and Thabo Sefolosha two for the Thunder. NOTES: Shelly Sterling, the estranged wife of banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling, attended the game. Her lawyer has said she wants to retain her financial interest in the team. ... Paul tied Elton Brands franchise record for most double-doubles in the playoffs with his sixth. ... Paul and Durant earned double technicals late in the first half after using expletives. ... Clippers F Hedo Turkoglu, out with a hairline fracture in his lower back, was able to pull on his gym shorts Friday, but coach Doc Rivers said its not looking good for him to return. ... Earlier Friday, the NBA hired Dick Parsons as the Clippers interim CEO. He is former chairman of Citigroup and Time Warner. Rivers said Parsons "is a very good hire." ... Rivers handed Crawford his Sixth Man of the Year trophy at centre court before the game. ... Among the famous faces were Rihanna, former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer, Billy Crystal, producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi, who pulled out his medal as the crowd cheered. Cody Zeller Hornets Jersey . Nowitzki scored 28 points, Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 116-106 Sunday night. Cody Martin Hornets Jersey . -- Tony Finau won the Stonebrae Classic on Sunday for his first Web. https://www.hornetslockerroom.com/. Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards. Devonte Graham Hornets Jersey . Toronto ended an 0-4-0 skid with Sundays shootout win over visiting New Jersey, but the club could have a difficult time making it two victories in a row tonight. The Maple Leafs have dropped three straight and 11 of the last 12 regular- season meetings against Boston overall and the Bruins have claimed six straight in Beantown. Muggsy Bogues Jersey .J. - New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara left Monday nights game against the Indianapolis Colts with a torn biceps.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The Bengals didnt wait long or look far for their next offensive co-ordinator, promoting Hue Jackson on Thursday shortly after Jay Gruden was introduced as the next head coach in Washington. Jackson has brought his career full-circle in Cincinnati, where he coached the wide receivers from 2004-06. He was Oaklands head coach in 2011 and pushed for the trade that brought quarterback Carson Palmer from Cincinnati at midseason in exchange for a first-round and second-round draft pick. The Raiders finished 8-8 and failed to reach the playoffs that season, resulting in Jacksons firing. He returned to Cincinnati as an assistant, and coached the running backs last season. The Bengals won the AFC North with an 11-5 mark but lost their opening playoff game for the third straight season, tying the NFL record. Andy Dalton had three second-half turnovers during a 27-10 loss to San Diego at Paul Brown Stadium. Gruden co-ordinated the Bengals West Coast offence each of the last three seasons and helped Dalton and receiver A.J. Green develop into one of the best young pass-aand-catch tandems in the league.dddddddddddd He was hired as the Redskins head coach on Thursday. "We are blessed to have a staff that allows us to promote from within," coach Marvin Lewis said. "It keeps some of the continuity with our offensive team, yet we get new direction and fire from an aggressive and innovative coaching mind. Hues expertise in all aspects of football and coaching is very wide." The Bengals finished the season with the 10th-ranked offence in the NFL. The offence flourished at home and often struggled on the road. Cincinnati won all eight home games during the regular season, tying the club record. Dalton set club records for touchdown passes and yards passing last season, but his struggles in the playoffs continued. In three playoff games, he has thrown only one touchdown pass with four interceptions. Jackson also has been the offensive co-ordinator for the Redskins, Falcons and Raiders. Defensive co-ordinator Mike Zimmer also is interviewing for head coaching jobs. Cincinnatis defence finished No. 3 in the league last season. ' ' '