Basketball, NBA: Kevin Durant poured in 48 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to a 115-111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Down by 13 points at one stage, the Thunder got 23 points from Durant in the fourth period alone to earn their first win in three home games. Nikola Pekovic led the Wolves with 31 points and 11 rebounds while Kevin Love had 30 points and 14 boards.

Tennis: With next week’s Australian Open in mind, a weary Venus Williams has opted to skip the Hobart International while her American compatriot Sloane Stephens has pulled out of the Sydney International with a minor wrist injury. “After a long week during my first tournament of the year, my body needs time to rest and recover,” the 33-year-old Williams said. Stephens, the world number 12, also saw her preparations for the Australian Open compromised. “I was having some pain in my wrist and the doctor recommended I do not play this week,” the 20-year-old American, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park a year ago, said.

Alpine Skiing: United States teenager Mikaela Shiffrin sounded further notice of her Winter Olympic gold medal potential with a fine World Cup slalom win in Bormio, Italy. The 18-year-old from Colorado held a narrow advantage over Maria Pietilae-Holmner after a first run of 57.72 seconds and survived a slow second split in the second to win by 0.13 seconds. France’s Nastasia Noens completed the podium after a flying second run which lifted her from 13th place.