OKLAHOMA CITY -- While accepting the award for himself, Kevin Durant called Russell Westbrook an MVP-calibre player. [url=https:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- While accepting the award for himself, Kevin Durant called Russell Westbrook an MVP-calibre player. Stitched Nike MLB Jerseys . And on Tuesday, Westbrook delivered a championship-calibre effort that got the Oklahoma City Thunder back to even in the Western Conference finals. He had 40 points, 10 assists and five steals in a 105-92 victory over the San Antonio Spurs 105-92 that tied the series at two games apiece. "Coach told us he needed maximum effort from us tonight, and it starts with me at point guard," Westbrook said. "My job is to play both sides of the ball. If you want to win a championship, those are things you have to do." It matched the second-highest playoff point total of Westbrooks career, falling short of the 43 he scored in the 2012 NBA Finals. "Just his focus on every possession on the defensive end and his poise on the offensive end, I think thats whats fun to watch," Durant said. "People outside of our team dont really look at that type of stuff, but thats something we can definitely build on as a group, is watching him wreak havoc on the defensive end and offensively, playing with such patience." At times, Westbrook has been a maddening player for Thunder fans to watch. His dynamic athletic ability gives him a supreme confidence level that sometimes leads to ill-advised shots and a tendency to hold the ball at the expense of offensive flow. But in this game, Westbrook did just about everything right. He shot 50 per cent from the field and took just five 3-pointers. He made 14 of 14 free throws. "Sometimes hes going to go off," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "Hes capable of doing that. If he makes a lot of jumpers, it gets really tough." In the midst of posting a monster game, Westbrook allowed Durant to still score 31 points. It was Durants highest-scoring game of the series after the NBAs leading scorer was held to a 22.7-point average in the first three games. Serge Ibaka added nine points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, who have turned around the series since he returned from an injury that was expected to keep him out for the rest of the post-season. "We just play well with Serge," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "We can do things with Serge in the lineup that we cant do with other guys." Boris Diaw had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 14 points for the Spurs, who blew a 2-0 lead against the Thunder in this round two years ago and are in danger of doing it again. San Antonio will host Game 5 on Thursday and wont be worried about the past. "I think we shouldnt think like that," Parker said. "Each game is different. Each series. Each year. We worked hard all year to have home court advantage, and now, its our job to protect home court." Oklahoma City dominated for the second consecutive game after getting blown out in the first two. The Thunder committed just seven turnovers and shot 49 per cent from the field. The Spurs scored the first eight points of the game, but things went downhill from there. A steal and dunk by Westbrook gave the Thunder a 42-32 lead with just under five minutes left in the first half. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Durant pushed Oklahoma Citys lead to 50-36. The Thunder led 58-43 at halftime. Durant scored 22 points and Westbrook added 17 points, eight assists and four steals before the break. Parker shot 6 of 9 in the first half, but the rest of the Spurs made just 11 of 32 before the break. A lob from Reggie Jackson to Durant for a two-handed slam bumped Oklahoma Citys lead to 60-43. A steal and jam by Ibaka made it 66-49, and a dunk by Westbrook made it 76-49. The Spurs closed the quarter on an 18-7 run and cut their deficit to 83-67. San Antonios Matt Bonner made a 3-pointer with 3:31 remaining to trim Oklahoma Citys edge to 12, but the Thunder maintained control. "We were just not focused coming out," Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard said. "Were not playing consistently throughout the whole game. Were playing in spurts or increments. Weve just got to play the whole game." The Thunder still need to win on the road to win the series. "Were just trying to look forward," Durant said. "We know how tough it is to go in there and get a W. We have to go on the road an handle our business. We feel better, but were not satisfied." Notes: Jackson started for the second straight game. He sprained his right ankle on a drive to the hoop and left the game with 8:25 left in the first quarter. He returned to start the second quarter. ... Thunder C Kendrick Perkins had 10 rebounds. ... The Thunder improved to 5-1 in the playoffs when Westbrook has at least 10 assists. ... Spurs G Manu Ginobili played just 11 minutes and scored five points. ... Thunder G Thabo Sefolosha did not play for the second consecutive game. He started the first two games of the series. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. MLB Jerseys 2020 . The time off didnt slow them down. Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 14 points and the Cavaliers pushed their winning streak to five games Tuesday night with a 114-85 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers. https://www.mlbjerseys2020.com/ . Redden played a total of 1,023 regular-season games with Ottawa, the New York Rangers, St. Louis and Boston. He finished with 457 points (109 goals, 348 assists) and a plus-160 rating over his career.DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Alex Anthopoulos spoke volumes with what he didnt say on right-hander Ervin Santana. The Blue Jays had been in the mix for the former Kansas City Royal with several Toronto players making a public plea to sign the 33-year-old former all-star. But Santana, a Dominican who counts several Jays as friends, elected instead to sign with the injury-ravaged Atlanta Braves. "I probably dont want to comment on how close I felt we got or didnt get," the Blue Jays general manager said Wednesday. Anthopoulos deflected many questions on Santana, leaving the impression he was not happy with the way the process had gone. Asked if he felt used, he said "No, no. But (thats) probably the only thing Im going to say." Money and terms apparently werent factors in Santanas decision to sign with Atlanta. "He had a strong desire to pitch in the NL and there was no way to compete with that," said Anthopoulos, who is also Torontos senior vice-president of baseball operations. Was that always the case, he was asked? "Very good question," Anthopoulos replied, before suggesting it was better directed at the pitchers camp. However the Jays GM did say he was told "recently" of that strong NL interest. Such hints aside, Anthopoulos was clearly looking to take the high road, "Obviously its done. He made his decision. Hes in Atlanta. Great signing for them. I wish him the best. Sorry it didnt work out with us." Certainly the NL East, home to the .sub-500 Miami Marlins, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies last season, might seem more hospitable than the thorny AL East. Especially when Santana is eligible for free agency again after this season. Santana has spent his entire career in the American League, with eight seasons as a Los Angeles Angel before being traded to the Royals in 2013. His career record is 105-90 with a 4.19 ERA. He became a free agent after turning down a US$14.1-million qualifying one-year offer from the Royals. Its the same deal he accepted from the Braves and likely in the same ballpark as the Jays offer. Minnesota reportedly tendered a thrree-year offer but at a lesser annual rate. MLB Jerseys From China. Unlike last off-season, the Jays have been quiet in player acquisitions. So the Santana snub stands front and centre. Anthopoulos said everyone in the organization wanted Santana to become a Jay. "I think we all feel we did everything we could," he added. With Josh Johnson gone and question-marks over J.A. Happ and Ricky Romero, the Jays have been looking to bolster a starting rotation that features R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow. Asked about the paucity of additions, Anthopoulos instead pointed to the healthy return of players like outfielder Melky Cabrera and pitcher Drew Hutchison. "We think Drews got a chance to be outstanding and hes put himself in a great position to make this club. I think if he does make this club, hes got a chance to have a tremendous year." Anthopoulos acknowledged the questions from fans and other observers. "All that being said, I can understand skepticism that comes with the job, the performance we had on the field last year. I think we will show how good we are when we break (spring training). I think the guys that we have tremendous upside but we would have loved to add someone just to have depth." "We werent going to force a deal and do things we really didnt believe in just to make a splash," he added. The GM said the Jays were "extremely close" to landing another starting pitcher in a trade only to see it not happen. He did not provide any other details. Bottom line, he says, the Jays like their talent but know it lacks seasoning in some quarters. So the search continues for that experience. NOTES -- Happ, whose spring training progress has been delayed by back problems, threw a side session Tuesday and "everything felt good," according to manager John Gibbons. Closer Casey Janssen, who has had soreness in his shoulder, was scheduled to throw a side session Wednesday. Dustin McGowan is also back after losing eight pounds to the same stomach bug that hit fellow pitcher Sergio Santos. ' ' '