Westbrook SIZZLES
Leads Thunder past Suns, 124-116
PHOENIX — Russell Westbrook had 43 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56 seconds to play, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final 10 points of the game to escape with a 124-116 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Westbrook also had 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who had lost three straight to Phoenix. Paul George scored 20 points.
Devin Booker had 39 points for the Suns and — at 21 years, 123 days — became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 4,000 career points. Only LeBron James and Kevin Durant were younger.
Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren scored 19 apiece for the Suns, who broke their 10-game losing streak at Memphis on Wednesday night. Elfrid Perry had 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Booker's baseline 12-footer at the shotclock buzzer put Phoenix up 115-114 with 2:37 to play and Alex Len made one of two free throws to make it 116-114 with 1:40 to go.
Westbrook tied it on a driving layup with 1:32 left and made just his second 3 of the night to put the Thunder ahead for good, 119-116.
The Suns shot 56 percent and the Thunder 49 percent in an up-anddown first half that ended with Phoenix up 67-60.
Booker had 21 points, eight assists and four rebounds in the half. Westbrook countered with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Jackson had 15 points in 10 minutes off the bench.
Booker scored Phoenix's first 11 points of the second half, the last nine on 3s, and the Suns led by 13 early in the third quarter.
But Westbrook led a 14-2 run, capped by his two free throws that cut the Phoenix lead to 92-91 with 3:18 to go in the period. Phoenix led 99-97 entering the fourth.