Durant overcomes foul trouble and scores 30 points as Thunder rallies to beat Heat 96-91

Durant scores 30 as Thunder beats Heat 96-91

TULSA, Okla. — Kevin Durant scored 18 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to help the Oklahoma City Thunder rally for a 96-91 preseason win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Jeff Green added 25 points for the Thunder (2-2), who didn’t take their first lead until there was 3:04 left but didn’t trail after that. Etan Thomas, who grew up in Tulsa, made two free throws with 11.4 seconds left to make it 95-91 and Durant made one of two from the line to seal the win.

Michael Beasley led Miami (0-4) with 24 points, while Daequan Cook scored 14.

The Heat played without star guard Dwyane Wade, who missed his second straight preseason game with a strained muscle in his left rib cage. He suffered the injury a week earlier in an exhibition game against Orlando. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said Wade practiced Monday and Tuesday but that it made sense to rest him at least one more game.

Spoelstra said Wade might play Thursday night when the Heat face the New Orleans Hornets in Kansas City, Mo. Wade dressed Wednesday night and said before the game that if it was a regular-season game, he would likely try to play.

Miami also played without center Jamaal Magliore, who Spoelstra said had a “slightly tweaked” ankle, an injury suffered during a practice. But guard Carlos Arroyo, signed Monday to a one-year contract, made his debut with the Heat but didn’t score.

Notes: Among those in the crowd of 10,427 at the BOK Center were members of the University of Tulsa’s basketball team, who opted to watch the Heat-Thunder game instead of an on-campus football game between Tulsa and No. 5 Boise State. … Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett, who promised last year, when the franchise moved to Oklahoma that the Thunder planned to make it a tradition to play exhibition games in Tulsa, also attended the game. Tulsa and Oklahoma City are about 90 miles apart. … Thunder C Nenad Krstic returned after missing Oklahoma City’s win over Phoenix on Monday with a sinus infection. … Thomas started at center for the Thunder in his first competitive game in his hometown since 1996, when he helped Booker T. Washington High School win a state title. He scored 11 points.

(This version CORRECTS Thunder 96, Heat 91. SUBS 3rd graph to correct Cook’s point total to 14, sted 15)