by George Devine, Sr.

In a decisive 104-98 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder won game 6 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals and the right to move on.

MVP Kevin Durant was the main man for the visitors, playing almost the entire game (44:06). He scored 39 points, had 16 key defensive rebounds and 5 assists. Russell Westbrook poured in 19 and had 12 assists. Serge Ibaka had 6 points and Steven Adams 10.

For Los Angeles, despite the enthusiasm of their home court crowd, the evening was disappointing. They dominated in the first frame, 30-16, but trailed in the remaining quarters, despite playing three of their key men for practically the whole night: Chris Paul (40:18) had 25 points, contributing 11 assists and 7 boards. Matt Barnes (42:18) had 9 points and Blake Griffin (40:53) had 22 points and 9 rebounds. J.J. Redick was good for 18 points but was ineffective when sent to defend against Durant, who at one point scored two three-pointers in a row off him.

Another key factor was the free throw percentage, where OKC was way ahead, 87.7% to 60%.

In off-court news, Clippers coach Doc Rivers was fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officiating in Game 5. Meanwhile, on the fine front, team owner has said through his attorney that he will not pay the fine of $2.5 million levied by the league for reported racist remarks, and that there will be litigation to stop a forced sale of the franchise.