The Oklahoma City Thunder marked their return from the All-Star break with a comfortable 104-89 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The hosts looked the stronger of the two sides from the start, opening up a 16-point lead by half time as they looked to move into the playoff places in the Western Conference.
Kevin Durant continued to struggle with a foot injury, but Russell Westbrook led the scoring with 34 to ensure that the Thunder continued to extend their advantage.
Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler combined for 24 for the Mavericks, but the rest of the team struggled as the visitors shot a season-low 36.3%.
Al Farouq-Aminu came off the bench late on for Dallas to cut the gap to 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the visiting side were unable to reduce the deficit further.
The result gives the Thunder six wins from the last seven games, leaving them tied with the Phoenix Suns for eighth place in the conference.
Sian Cowper
