Westbrook adds another triple
Hawks make deal, keep on winning
OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook was scary enough already.
Now, the league’s scoring leader is hitting 3-pointers as well as he does everything else.
Westbrook had 32 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists for his 17th triple-double of the season and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 121-106 on Saturday night.
Westbrook made 7 of 12 3-pointers after hitting a career-high eight 3s on Thursday at Houston. He made four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to turn the game into a rout.
“Obviously, Russ started hitting pull-up 3s from 30 feet, and there’s not a lot you can do with that,” Denver coach Michael Malone said.
Westbrook, who entered the game as a 33 percent 3-point shooter for the season, said there’s no magic in his 15-for27 shooting behind the arc the past two games.
“Just try to stay on balance and concentrate on making the shot,” he said.
Westbrook matched his season high in rebounds in the 54th triple-double of his career. The Thunder improved to 32-3 the past two seasons when Westbrook gets a triple-double.
Steven Adams scored 16 points and Victor Oladipo added 15 for Oklahoma City, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Wilson Chandler scored 24 points and Will Barton added 21 for the Nuggets. Danilo Gallinari, Denver’s leading scorer for the season, finished with 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting.
It was Denver’s fifth consecutive loss, and the Nuggets allowed at least 120 points in all of them.
“It’s still a work in progress, still got to get better at it,” Barton said of the defensive play. “We’re taking steps.”
The game was tied at 60 at halftime. Westbrook had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists at the break, while Chandler had 19 points for the Nuggets.
Westbrook reached double figures in rebounds early in the third quarter. He sat down for a rest late in the period with nine assists and the Thunder leading 85-73.
Westbrook re-entered the game with 8:35 remaining and the Thunder leading 97-89. He claimed the tripledouble less than a minute after he returned, then later put the game away with a pair of 3-pointers 32 seconds apart that put Oklahoma City up by 18.
“Some of those shots he hit were tough, tough shots, and we had no answer for them,” Malone said.
HAWKS 97, MAVERICKS 82: In Dallas, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder assumed Atlanta’s 3-point shooting role with Kyle Korver traded, combining for 42 points as the Hawks beat the Mavericks.
The Hawks dealt Korver, their leading long-range shooter, to Cleveland earlier Saturday. The Cavs sent forward Mike Dunleavy, guard Mo Williams, cash and a protected future first-round draft pick to the Hawks for Korver.
Hardaway finished with 22 points, going 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. Schroder scored 20 and was 3 for 5 from 3-point range. The Hawks exceeded their season average with 11 3-pointers in 22 attempts (50 percent).
Dwight Howard had 20 rebounds and 15 points for Southeast Division leader Atlanta, which has won six straight games.
BULLS 123, RAPTORS 118 (OT): In Chicago, Jimmy Butler scored 42 points, and Chicago overcame a 19-point deficit to beat Toronto.
Butler led a big run in the fourth quarter and hit a 3 with 17.3 seconds left in overtime for a five-point lead. He also hit the 40-point mark for the third time in six games.
Dwyane Wade added 20 points, and Doug McDermott had 17 to help the Bulls win their 10th in a row against Toronto.
SPURS 102, HORNETS 85: In San Antonio, Davis Bertans scored a season-high 21 points to help San Antonio beat Charlotte.
Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
San Antonio has won nine straight at home and 13 of 15 overall.
San Antonio is 13-0 when Bertans scores a point and he was 4 for 5 on 3-pointers in leading the Spurs in scoring for the first time this season.
PACERS 123, KNICKS 109: In Indianapolis, Paul George and Jeff Teague each scored 19 points to lead Indiana over the Knicks.
Thaddeus Young had 16 points and nine rebounds, C.J. Miles added 15 points off the bench, and the Pacers (20-18) extended their winning streak to a season-best fifth straight game.
CELTICS 117, PELICANS
108: In Boston, Isaiah Thomas scored 38 points, Marcus Smart added a season-high 22 and Boston beat New Orleans.
JAZZ 94, TIMBERWOLVES 92: In Minneapolis, George Hill scored 19 points in his return from a concussion and Rudy Gobert tipped in a rebound with 27.5 seconds to play to lift Utah past Minnesota.
BLAZERS-PISTONS: Portland’s game against Detroit was postponed because of a winter storm that blew into Oregon on Saturday.
The Trail Blazers rescheduled the game against the Pistons for tonight.
Blazers guard Damian Lillard was asked on Twitter if it was the first time he’d been snowed out of a game, and the former Weber State star replied: “I’ve seen way worse weather in Utah and the show went on.”