Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant (front) dunks against James Johnson of the Grizzlies on Saturday (US time). Photo: CFP

Kevin Durant scored 33 points on Saturday (US time) to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-86 triumph over Memphis in game one of their NBA Western Conference playoff series.

Durant connected on five of six shots from the field as he delivered 13 points in the fourth quarter, when the Thunder thwarted the Grizzlies comeback bid and took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Oklahoma had dominated the first half and led by 22 at halftime.

But their lead dwindled to just two points (74-72) after Mike Miller's three-pointer with 8:46 left in the game.

Durant - front-runner for the league's Most Valuable ­Player award - found Serge ­Ibaka under the basket for a three-point play on the other end to spark a 13-1 scoring run that let the Thunder rebuild a more comfortable cushion.

"I just wanted to be aggressive," Durant said. "They hit us pretty hard in that third quarter, so we needed some points."

Russell Westbrook added 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Ibaka had 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in the win.

Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 21 points and 11 ­rebounds. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol finished with 16 points apiece.

While the Thunder were able to hold off a Memphis team that nearly turned the tide with a 31-13 scoring edge in the third quarter, the Los ­Angeles Clippers couldn't do the same against the Golden State ­Warriors in another game in the West.

The Warriors overcame 21 turnovers to edge the Clippers 109-105 in their series opener and snatch home court advantage.

Klay Thompson scored 22 points and pulled down ­seven rebounds for the Oakland-­based Warriors.

David Lee added 20 points for the Warriors and Stephen Curry added 20.

The game was tied 52-52 at halftime, but the sixth-seeded Warriors outscored the Clippers 35-27 in the third quarter and led by as many as 11 in the fourth period.

The Clippers clawed their way back, with two three-pointers from All-Star point guard Chris Paul knotting the score at 102-102 with less than three minutes to play.

But Paul, an 86 percent career free-throw shooter, missed two crucial foul shots in the closing stretch as the Warriors held on for the victory.

In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks - who entered the postseason with the worst regular-season record (38-44) of the 16 playoff teams - surprised the top-seeded Indiana Pacers 101-93 in the opening game of their series.

Atlanta's Jeff Teague scored 28 points and handed out five assists to lead the Hawks to a victory and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The other Eastern Conference game on the opening day of the postseason also saw the visitors come out on top. Paul Pierce found his form in the final minutes, sparking the Brooklyn Nets to a 94-87 victory over the Raptors in Toronto.

Agencies - Global Times