Erratic shooting no worry for Westbrook
Russell Westbrook made fewer than a third of his shots but still dominated the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Oklahoma City’s superstar point guard posted his 18th triple-double of the season as the Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 103-95.
Westbrook shot just 6 of 19 and missed all seven of his 3-pointers, but finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for the 55th triple-double of his career.
He’s already matched his total from last season less than halfway through this one, and his 2015-16 total was the most for an NBA player since Magic Johnson had 18 during the 1981-82 season.
Westbrook isn’t just rolling up stats. OKC is 15-3 this season and 33-3 the past two seasons when he gets a tripledouble.
“People can get wrapped up in numbers and talk about numbers, but the numbers don’t reflect winning,” Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said.
“When Russell has got triple-doubles, we’ve won. That’s what he is most focused on, I think.”
Enes Kanter scored 19 points and Victor Oladipo added 16 for the Thunder, who won their third straight and avenged their worst loss of the season — 114-80 in Memphis on Dec 29.
Mike Conley scored 22 points and Zach Randolph and Chandler Parsons each scored 14 for the Grizzlies.
“It was just one of those games, man,” Randolph said. “We couldn’t hit shots, but we were still in the game. We didn’t play good at all, right from the start.
“Give them credit; they hit shots and we didn’t. We didn’t execute down at the end and they won.”
The Thunder led 55-44 at halftime, but Memphis pulled to 59-58 midway through the third quarter.
Westbrook got his 10th assist on a pass to Oladipo for a 3-pointer as the Thunder tried to regain their footing. OKC closed the quarter strong and led 75-67 heading into the fourth.
Westbrook clinched his triple-double when he snagged his 10th rebound on a missed free throw in the fourth.
Thunder center Steven Adams got back to thwart a fast break, then blocked a 3-pointer by Conley. Oladipo made a 3 on the other end to put Oklahoma City up 93-86 with just over a minute to play.
Westbrook’s teammates shot just under 50 percent from the field to make up for his rough shooting.
“Even with Russell’s numbers, it’s really a complete and total team effort,” Donovan said.
“Guys have got to put the ball in the basket to get him assists. Steven and Enes screen to get him loose, to get him downhill to make plays. Everybody’s kind of contributed.”
The Thunder outrebounded the Grizzlies 53-39 and outscored them 23-12 from the free throw line.
Grizzlies’ center Marc Gasol, the team’s leading scorer at nearly 20 points per game, finished with nine on 4-for-12 shooting.