OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, (Reuters) – Kevin Durant  extended his impressive scoring streak with another 25-point  haul as the Oklahoma City Thunder won for the seventh time in a  row, a 99-86 triumph over the revamped Dallas Mavericks on  Tuesday.

Fresh from participating in his first All-Star game, Durant  racked up 25 points for a 26th straight game, the longest such  run since Allen Iverson completed the feat for 27 successive  games in the 2000-01 season.

The third-year forward top all scorers despite shooting a  mediocre 9-for-28 from the field, but also contributed a  game-high 14 rebounds.

“My team mates did a great job of picking me up when my  shots weren’t falling,” Durant told reporters. “The important  thing is we got the win.”

The Thunder spoiled the debut of Dallas’s new acquisitions  after the team traded for high-scoring forward Caron Butler,  center Brendan Haywood and reserve DeShawn Stevenson during the  All-Star weekend.

However, the reinforcements could not prevent the Mavericks  (32-21) from suffering a sixth loss in their last eight games.

Butler made just 4-of-16 shots and had 13 points while Dirk  Nowitzki paced Dallas with 24. As a team, the Mavericks shot a  season-low 32 percent and were never in contention once they  fell behind in the second half.

SURGED AHEAD
“We didn’t make shots,” Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd  said. “I think we started pressing. It just didn’t work out.”

Oklahoma City surged ahead in the third quarter by scoring  14 straight points to pull ahead 73-59, a lead that swelled to  17 early in the fourth.

Point guard Russell Westbrook recorded 17 points, eight  assists and six rebounds to go with 17 each from forward Jeff  Green and reserve James Harden.

The Thunder started slowly and were 10 points adrift after  the first quarter but erupted for 40 points in the second to  take a 56-54 halftime advantage.

After under-achieving for several years, the youthful squad  is in the thick of the Western Conference playoff mix while  extending their longest win streak since 2004, when the  franchise was located in Seattle.

Meanwhile, Mavericks center Erick Dampier exited the game  with less than three minutes left due to a dislocated finger  that could force him out for several games.

His absence will put extra pressure on new big man Haywood,  who had seven points and six rebounds in his first outing with  Dallas.