Monday's other exhibition games

THUNDER 110, ROCKETS 104: Kevin Durant wasn't going to let a bum ankle spoil Oklahoma City's first game in its new home state.

Durant shrugged off a late injury and scored 20 of his 26 points in the final 8 minutes to lead the Thunder to its first exhibition victory at Tulsa, Okla.

GRIZZLIES 103, PACERS 95: Rookie guard O.J. Mayo scored 26 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead host Memphis over Indiana.

NOTES

NBA WILL CUT JOBS: The NBA is eliminating about 80 jobs in the United States, the first major American sports league to announce layoffs because of the worldwide economic turmoil.

Commissioner David Stern told The Associated Press last month the league would cut staff in anticipation of the downturn. He said Sunday the figure would be about 9 percent of the American work force, and the league confirmed the number of jobs the next day.

"We made the decision some months ago that the economy was going to be a bit wobbly, so we began a belt-tightening," Stern said in London, where the New Jersey Nets beat the Miami Heat in an exhibition game.

The NBA continues to hire in other countries, he said.

HORNETS AND WIZARDS WILL MEET IN BERLIN: From Beijing to Berlin, All-Star point guard Chris Paul is getting a firsthand look at the globalization of basketball.

Paul, who won a gold medal with the U.S. team at the Olympics in August, leads the New Orleans Hornets against the Washington Wizards in an exhibition game today in the German capital.

"The game of basketball has grown unbelievably, and Europe has a lot to do with that," he said Monday. "I just played in the Olympics. I think for a while everyone thought about basketball as an American thing. It seems more and more it's a world thing."

Wizards forward Antawn Jamison, who will sit out today's game with a bruised knee, said his team will be ready for the Hornets despite injuries to key players.

"Our question is how vital can our young guys be," the former North Carolina star said. "We need them to produce early on."

The teams will meet again Friday in Barcelona, Spain.

76ERS PICK UP OPTIONS ON YOUNG, SMITH: The Philadelphia 76ers picked up the third-year options on the contracts of Jason Smith and Thaddeus Young on Monday.

ESPN GAINS MAGIC: Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson has joined ESPN as a studio analyst for NBA coverage, and Jeff Van Gundy signed an extension to stay as a member of the cable TV network's top broadcast team.

Johnson will work with Stuart Scott, Mike Wilbon and Jon Barry on ABC's pre-game show, starting on Christmas Day when ABC and ESPN broadcast three games. He'll also contribute to the network's playoff coverage.