Durant delivers for Sonics

SEATTLE – Kevin Durant shook off another poor shooting night to score 21 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 59 seconds left, and the Seattle SuperSonics beat the sinking New York Knicks 86-85 on Saturday for their season-high third consecutive victory.

Seattle native Nate Robinson missed a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining that would have won it for the Knicks, who lost all five games on their trip through the West. They blew second-half leads in four of those defeats, including this one.

Robinson missed all nine of his shots and finished with five points, two assists and three turnovers in 32 minutes.

Zach Randolph, whom Seattle double-teamed on the final possession to force the ball to the cold Robinson, had 24 points for New York. Jamal Crawford scored 23, but was just 1 for 5 from the field in the final quarter.

New York sank to a season-low 19 games less than .500.

After a 10-for-16 aberration while beating Cleveland on Thursday, Durant returned to his recent cold shooting by missing 13 of his first 19 shots.

Consecutive baskets inside by New York’s David Lee and Randolph tied the game at 83 with just more than a minute left. Then Durant stepped back and swished his 3-pointer with 59 seconds remaining. He punctuated the decisive shot with a fist pump that seemed more of relief than exultation.

Crawford then drove and made a floater in the lane over two Sonics with 44 seconds to cut Seattle’s lead to 86-85. After a Seattle timeout, Durant lost the ball to Jared Jeffries in the open floor with 21 seconds to go.

Knicks coach Isiah Thomas set up a final play for Randolph along the baseline, but when two Sonics rushed to him in the corner, Randolph found Robinson open on the wing. But the diminutive guard’s 26-footer bounded harmlessly off the front rim.