returned to the Cardinals as a free agent

OKLAHOMA CITY - Kevin Durant stood before his adoring home crowd, proudly holding his MVP trophy above his head during a pregame ceremony. He spent the next few hours showing how he earned it. Durant had 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Clippers 112-101 on Wednesday night to tie their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece. "We wanted to come back and respond," Durant said. "So, I think thats what fueled the team tonight. We just went out there and played extremely well and left it all out there, and came out with a good W." During his emotional MVP acceptance speech on Tuesday, Durant called teammate Russell Westbrook an MVP-calibre player. Westbrook backed up Durants words with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his third triple-double in his past five playoff games. "I think Russ played harder than all of us combined," Clippers guard Chris Paul said. "He was all over the place." Thunder coach Scott Brooks took Durant out of the game with 1:21 remaining, costing him a shot at the triple-double. According to information provided to the Thunder by the Elias Sports Bureau, no pair of teammates has had triple-doubles in the same playoff game. Serge Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha each scored 14 points for the Thunder, who shot 51 per cent from the field and outrebounded the Clippers 52-36. "It was the perfect storm," Clippers guard Jamal Crawford said. "They did everything they could to win, and they got everything they wanted tonight. That wasnt the Clippers team weve been and Im sure well get back on track." J.J. Redick scored 18 points, Paul had 17 points and 11 assists, and Blake Griffin added 15 points for the Clippers. Los Angeles made 15 of 29 3-pointers in Game 1, but just 9 of 27 in Game 2. The Clippers will host Game 3 Friday in Los Angeles. Durant scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting in the first quarter to help the Thunder take a 37-28 lead. Paul, who scored 17 points in the opening quarter of Game 1, went scoreless in the first quarter of Game 2 and watched most of the period from the bench with two fouls as the Thunder took control early. Oklahoma City got an offensive boost from an unlikely source in the third quarter — Sefolosha, a defensive stopper. He hit a mid-range jumper, then dunked after a steal by Westbrook to give the Thunder a 78-66 lead. Sefolosha dunked again, then got a steal that led to a 3-pointer by Westbrook and gave Oklahoma City a 90-73 advantage. Sefolosha, who had averaged just 3.7 points in the playoffs, scored 12 points in the quarter to help the Thunder take a 94-77 lead into the fourth. Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he expected Durant and Westbrook to score, but not Sefolosha. "We can win if they (Durant and Westbrook) both have good offensive games," Rivers said. "What we cant do is then give them that plus everything else. And I thought thats what happened tonight." Westbrook clinched his triple-double with 1:21 remaining when he was credited with an assist after a pass to Sefolosha, who took two dribbles on his drive to the basket. Rivers said the Thunder were the aggressors. "Every single possession, you have to have great focus and you have to be locked in, and today we were not," he said. "I thought it was because of all the clutter today. Were upset at the officials, were upset at everything instead of turning our anger on the opponent and focus. Tonight we just didnt have it." Notes: A power surge took out much of the arenas lighting with 27.2 seconds left in the first half. The coaches agreed to finish out the half with the limited lighting. The power returned, but halftime was extended briefly to give the lights the necessary 15 minutes to return to full brightness. ... Rapper Jay-Z attended the game. ... 2K Sports has announced that Durant will be the lone player on the cover of NBA 2K15. He shared the cover of 2K13 with Griffin and Chicagos Derrick Rose. Miamis LeBron James was on the cover of 2K14. ... Commissioner Adam Silver presented Durant with the MVP trophy before the game. ... Thunder C Steven Adams was called for a technical foul with 9:17 remaining for falling on Paul after biting on a pump fake and knocking him into the Thunder bench. Crawford was issued a technical with 7:28 to play, and Paul was given one with 2:24 remaining. ... Severe weather affected the area, and fans were told to stay in the arena after the game to allow the weather to pass. Shoes Black Friday Deals 2020 . HEROES Alex Ovechkin – Scored a pair of goals in Washington’s 4-0 win over Pittsburgh. With 13 goals in the past 13 games, Ovechkin now has 29 goals on the season to lead the league. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday Free Shipping . Julien coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11 and is the longest serving coach in consecutive seasons in the teams history. Claude is one of the top coaches in the NHL and has consistently shown a passion for winning, general manager Peter Chiarelli said Sunday in announcing the signing. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/. The Blueshirts hope to stay alive once again when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Sundays Game 6 battle at Madison Square Garden. Discount Shoes Black Friday .J. Fair didnt have many chances to be the main option for Syracuse last season. Cheap Shoes Black Friday . Interestingly, the culprits were not rookies, but well paid, experienced pros. The first gaffe came in the 24th minute of arguably the biggest early season MLS game in history between Seattle and Toronto. Sounder newcomer Marco Pappa, (with over 100 MLS games, and 39 Guatemalan Caps to his name) attempted a back pass to one of his central defenders. CLEVELAND -- With wads of money to spend, the Cleveland Browns didnt waste any time shoving millions into two defensive holes they created this winter. During the furious first few hours of free agency Tuesday, the team agreed to terms with strong safety Donte Whitner, a Cleveland native who cant wait to play in his hometown. "I must now embark on my intended journey and become a Cleveland Brown," Whitner wrote on his Twitter account. "A place thats very dear to my heart!" Also, the Browns reportedly struck a deal with inside linebacker Karlos Dansby, who resurrected his career last season in his second stint with Arizona. The team has not made any announcements. With $49 million of space under the salary cap to sign players, new Cleveland general manager Ray Farmer addressed two pressing needs after the club decided not to re-sign safety T.J. Ward or linebacker DQwell Jackson -- the Browns top tacklers last season and two of their best players. Whitners deal is reportedly worth $28 million over four years, and Dansbys is for $24 million -- $14 million guaranteed -- over four years. Farmer could be working on a blockbuster deal, with the Browns said to be interested in trading with Tampa Bay for shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis. If they can land Revis and pair him with Pro Bowler Joe Haden, the Browns would have arguably the NFLs best tandem of cornerbacks. The Buccaneers are eager to part with Revis, who makes $16 million a year. Revis has a previous relationship with Browns coach Mike Pettine, who coached him in New York. The Browns didnt ignore their offence on the first day of free agency, signing Cincinnati wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet. The Bengals have five days to match the contract or Hawkins will join the Browns, who need a replacement at slot receiver after releasing troubled veteran Davone Bess. A two-time Pro Bowler, Whitner is returning to Cleveland to help turn around a franchise he pulled for as a kid. As word of his signing leaked out shortly after 4 p.m., Whitner, who played at Ohio Statte before he was drafted by Buffalo, tweeted "O-H" in a nod to both his alma mater and home state.dddddddddddd After playing 14 seasons in Cleveland, 49ers kicker Phil Dawson can appreciate Whitners excitement about the homecoming. "If most guys are honest, they have a soft spot in their hearts for their hometown, and obviously Dontes getting to go home," Dawson said on a conference call after receiving a new two-year deal with San Francisco. "One thing I know about Cleveland is when you grow up there, you wear orange and brown. No matter where you go or how far youve been gone, if youve grown up in Cleveland, youre a Browns fan. "Im sure its a special opportunity for Donte. Obviously were going to miss him. Hes a great player. Hell be a huge addition to that organization." Whitner spent five seasons with the Bills, who selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in 2006. Nicknamed "Hitner," the 28-year-old signed a three-year, $11.75 million free-agent deal with San Francisco in 2011 and played three seasons with the 49ers, getting to the NFC championship each year. Hes been durable, missing just one game in the past four seasons. Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer, another proud Clevelander, is thrilled to have Whitner as a new teammate. "Great to have another hometown guy here to help us win! Congrats @DonteWhitner!" Hoyer posted on his Twitter account. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Dansby fills the void left by the surprising departure of Jackson, the respected captain and team leader. Dansby, 32, had 122 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks and four interceptions with the Cardinals last season. He spent his first six years with Arizona, signed with Miami for three and then returned to the Cardinals as a free agent in 2013. A speedster who played collegiately at Toledo, Hawkins worked out for Cleveland in 2008 before he signed in the Canadian Football League. The 28-year-old signed with the Bengals in 2011 and had a career-high 51 receptions for 533 yards and four touchdowns in 2012. He was limited to eight games last season because of an ankle injury. ' ' '