OKC’s Westbrook nets another triple-double
OKLAHOMA CITY – Dynamic point guard Russell Westbrook posted his fifth triple-double in six games to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Toronto Raptors 108-104 on Sunday night. Westbrook, the NBA’s leading scorer at 27.4 points per game, had 30 points, matched a career high with 17 assists and grabbed 11 rebounds for his seventh triple-double of the season and 15th of his career. “He’s playing unbelievable basketball right now,” said Raptors’ counterpart Kyle Lowry, who finished with 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting. “The man is unbelievable, and he’s pretty much carrying their team right now.” Westbrook, the All-Star MVP and reigning Western Conference player of the month, said he’s aware of how special triple-doubles are. “It crosses my mind when we win, which is the most important thing,” he said. Enes Kanter had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka had 21 points and five blocks for the Thunder, who remained alone in eighth place in the Western Conference standings, one game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Thunder shot 51 percent from the field and outrebounded the Raptors 49-33. “It’s not like we didn’t play hard, but they took it to another level and we didn’t meet it, especially in the paint with rebounding,” said Toronto coach Dwane Casey. DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and Terrence Ross added 20 for the Raptors, who lost their third straight. A powerful dunk by DeRozan cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 106-104 with 15.4 seconds to play. Westbrook made two free throws with 14.3 seconds remaining to make it a four-point lead. DeRozan missed a contested three-pointer, and the Thunder held on. Toronto led by seven in the second quarter before the Thunder rallied. A dunk by Ibaka on an assist by Westbrook cut the Raptors’ lead to 59-58, but Toronto maintained a 61-58 lead heading into the break. DeRozan led the Raptors with 16 points in the first half. Oklahoma City shot 56 percent before the break but turned the ball over 10 times. Westbrook clinched the triple-double on a rebound with just more than a minute left in the third quarter. Steven Adams’ jumper in the lane as time expired in the period gave the Thunder an 86-79 lead and Westbrook his 15th assist.
Warriors 106, Clippers 98
Stephen Curry had a quiet day but his Golden State teammates stepped up to guide the Warriors over visiting LA. Draymond Green had 23 points, and Klay Thompson and Shaun Livingston contributed 21 apiece as the Warriors notched their 27th win in 29 home games this season. Curry was held to 12 points and four assists in a matchup with fellow All-Star guard Chris Paul, who recorded a 14-point, 11-assist double-double for the Clippers.
Spurs 116, Bulls 105
Tony Parker scored a season-best 32 points, helping San Antonio defeat short-handed Chicago for its fifth straight win. Parker, who has missed more than a dozen games over the past three months with a hamstring problem, scored 15 straight for the Spurs in the third quarter. He hit 13 of his 19 shots for the game. Spurs forward Tim Duncan had three points and failed to score from the field for the first time in his career, snapping a streak of 1,310 straight games with a made field goal, the longest streak in NBA history.
Jazz 95, Nets 88
Gordon Hayward scored 24 points as Utah Jazz continued its recent surge with a road victory in Brooklyn. Former Nets forward Derrick Favors added 22 and eight rebounds as the Jazz surpassed their win total from last season and concluded a four-game trip with their ninth win in 12 games.
Magic 103, Celtics 98
Victor Oladipo scored 22 points and Tobias Harris added 21 to lead Orlando over Boston. The Magic used a 12-0 run late in the fourth quarter to dent the playoff hopes of the Celtics.
Hornets 108, Pistons 101
Al Jefferson scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half and Charlotte extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over sinking Detroit. Reggie Jackson’s 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists led the Pistons, who dropped their sixth straight.
Mavericks 100, Lakers 93
Monta Ellis scored 26 of his 31 points in the second half and Dallas staged a late rally to beat host Los Angeles. Ellis connected on 12 of 22 shots, including two clutch buckets late in the fourth quarter, as the Mavericks overturned a sixpoint deficit inside the final seven minutes. The Lakers have lost five straight games and 21 of 25.