Spurs Tied After Durant Thunder

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Kevin Durant matched his career playoff high with 41 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 111-97 on Sunday night to tie the Western Conference semi-final series 2-2.

Durant scored 29 points on 10-for-13 shooting in the second half.

Russell Westbrook finished with 14 points and 15 assists, Dion Waiters added 17 points, and Steven Adams had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma City. The Thunder shot 50.6% overall and 57% in the second half to avoid going back to San Antonio down 3-1 for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Tony Parker led San Antonio with 22 points, Kawhi Leonard had 21, and LaMarcus Aldridge 20.

San Antonio led by 11 early in the second quarter, but the Thunder rallied and took a 45-44 lead on a three-pointer by Durant with 1:47 left in the first half. The Spurs closed the quarter on a 9-0 run, with all the points coming from Leonard and Aldridge, to take a 53-45 lead at the break. Durant and Westbrook were a combined six for 21 from the field in the first half.

Boris Diaw’s three-pointer from the corner in the closing seconds of the third quarter gave the Spurs an 81-77 lead heading into the fourth.

Durant took over early in the final quarter. His back-to-back threes gave the Thunder a 93-87 lead. Enes Kanter’s fast-break dunk pushed the lead to 100-93.

San Antonio hung tough, but a baseline floater, a layup and a corner three by Durant made it 108-97.

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Renegade Gayle Ends Bash with Rant

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Chris Gayle has come out swinging in a long social media rant following the end of a controversial stint in the Big Bash League.

Gayle’s season with the Melbourne Renegades was embroiled in controversy surrounding his sideline interview with television reporter Mel McLaughlin.

The 36-year-old was fined $10,000 by the Renegades for his interview with McLaughlin, which he described as a “simple joke” but Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland deemed “completely out of line”.

During a 4 January match, Gayle asked McLaughlin if she wanted to go out for a drink before adding “don’t blush baby”.

On Tuesday, the powerful Jamaican fired a parting shot in an Instagram post aimed at “the haters” and those who failed to publicly defend him.

Former England Test player and BBL commentator Andrew Flintoff said Gayle had made himself “look like a bit of a chop” in a tweet following the interview with McLaughlin.

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Former Australian Test opener Chris Rogers said Gayle had set a bad example for the Sydney Thunder’s young players when the pair both played with the franchise, while allrounder Shane Watson said he expected the behaviour.

The West Indian ended his stint with the Renegades on Monday night when he equalled the world record for the fastest Twenty20 half-century, reaching the milestone from just 12 balls against the Adelaide Strikers.

In a video and audio media release issued by the Renegades on Tuesday, Gayle said he wanted to return to play again in the BBL.

“Definitely – I have always got a soft spot for Australia. And the fans here have been very supportive. They have been really, really tremendous,” he said.

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Test Cricket Crowds Given Big Bash

The Big Bash League’s dominance over the summer of Test cricket has been highlighted with another crowd record tumbling.

Defending champions Perth Scorchers announced on Friday their remaining two home fixtures had sold out, making them the first franchise to sell out their full four-match regular season home match schedule in the BBL’s five-year history.

It means the four games at the 20,000-capacity Waca Ground will dwarf the crowd figures from the drawn Test match against New Zealand played at the venue in November.

Only 40,288 people turned out across the five days of the Test, at an average of just over 8,000 fans per day. In comparison, a combined 39,762 fans have already attended the Scorchers’ opening two BBL home games.

It is also anticipated that Saturday’s Melbourne derby between the Stars and Renegades could outdraw the 53,389 who attended the opening day of the Boxing Day Test against the out-matched Windies last week.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has already acknowledged that the BBL has impacted on Test crowds.

“Look, the numbers would indicate that, yes,” Sutherland told ABC Grandstand recently. “The Big Bash League has changed the dynamic a lot, and let’s be open, all over the country it has cannibalised the demand for international cricket.”

Average BBL crowd figures have risen to 22,597 across the 13 matches so far this summer, more than the single-day attendance numbers at any of the Brisbane, Perth and Hobart Tests this year.

The lowest crowd figure at any of this summer’s BBL matches is the 14,868 for the Hobart-Brisbane match, which is still just 475 fans shy of the total attendance across the three days of the Hobart Test match.

CA has already hinted at the inclusion of day-night pink-ball Tests at the Gabba and Blundstone Arena next year to attract more fans, however there is no chance of a shift in Perth given the time zone difference to the east coast.

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Khawaja Thunder Boxing Day Doubt

Usman Khawaja will face a fitness test later this week which will determine his chances of returning to the Test arena on Boxing Day. 

The 28-year-old was due to return from a hamstring injury in Thursday night’s opening Big Bash League match for the Sydney Thunder. However Cricket Australia medical staff have ruled him out of the clash against cross-city rivals the Sixers.

Khawaja will now need to prove his fitness before Sunday’s match with the Melbourne Stars, which also acts as the only remaining fixture before the Boxing Day Test against the West Indies at the MCG.

If he fails that test, selectors will be spared the difficult decision of trying to slot Khawaja back into the Australian team at the expense of either Joe Burns or Shaun Marsh.

Khawaja has not played since injuring his hamstring in the second Test against New Zealand at the Waca Ground, and Australian coach Darren Lehmann is not willing to risk him without any previous game-time.

“We certainly need him playing and with the hamstring we don’t want him playing Test match cricket if he’s not fully fit,” Lehmann said after Australia’s defeat of the West Indies in Hobart.

“He will have to be sharp in those Big Bash League T20 games he’s playing and get through those – then we’ll make a decision from there.”

Khawaja was a key member of Australia’s top order against New Zealand, smashing centuries at the Gabba and Waca before being ruled out with the injury.

Australian captain Steve Smith is also battling a knee injury in the lead up to the MCG Test, and has been ruled out of the Sixers’ opening two BBL matches. He is expected to be fit for the Boxing Day Test.

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