Westbrook carries Thunder past Cavs
Russell Westbrook moved into a tie for third place on the NBA list for triple-doubles with 23 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists, and the Thunder completed a regular-season sweep of shorthanded Cleveland with a 100-83 victory in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
Westbrook’s triple-double was his third this season — all in the past four games — and the 107th of his career, matching Jason Kidd and trailing only Oscar Robertson (181) and Magic Johnson (138). Kidd took 1,247 games to reach 107. Westbrook needed only 760.
Jordan Clarkson led Cleveland with 25 points.
The Cavaliers agreed to trade Kyle Korver to Utah after the team had arrived at Chesapeake Energy Arena, leaving them with nine players in uniform. Eight got into the game.
Cleveland got forward Alec Burks and two future secondround picks for Korver, one of the best deep shooters in NBA history. Bucks 116, Bulls 113: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and Khris Middleton made a tie-breaking threepointer with 5.2 seconds left to lift host Milwaukee over Chicago. The Bulls announced that guard Denzel Valentine had season-ending surgery to stabilize his left ankle. They expect him to return to full basketball activities in about six months. Hornets 108, Hawks 94: Jeremy Lamb scored 22 points, Cody Zeller had a season-high 19 and host Charlotte prevailed. The Hornets took a 124-123 loss in Atlanta on Sunday. Trail Lillard Blazers had 41 points, 115, Magic including 112: Damian a franchise-record 10 three-pointers, and host Portland stopped a seasonhigh three-game slide. Nikola Vucevic had 20 points for Orlando, which has lost four of its past five games. 76ers 117, Knicks 91: Joel Embiid put on a show with his father in the stands for the first time this season, collecting 26 points and 14 rebounds while leading host Philadelphia. Thomas Embiid, a colonel in the Cameroon military, is visiting from the family’s home country and plans to spend a few weeks with his son. Pelicans 125, Wizards 104: Anthony Davis had 28 points and 15 rebounds as host New Orleans stemmed a four-game slide. Jrue Holiday scored 29 points and Julius Randle added 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans, who put Tim Frazier in the starting lineup at point guard and slid Holiday to shooting guard. Timberwolves 128, Spurs 89: Robert Covington scored 21 points, and host Minnesota improved to 7-2 since trading disgruntled Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia. Jazz 101, Nets 91: Donovan Mitchell returned from a two-game absence with 29 points, taking control down the stretch to lead Utah in Brooklyn. Mitchell showed no effects from his bruised ribs, scoring 12 points in the final 5:42. Mavericks 128, Rockets 108: Rookie Luka Doncic and Devin Harris each scored 20 points, and visiting Dallas beat Houston despite a triple-double by James Harden (25 points, 17 assists, 11 rebounds). The Rockets dropped their fourth in a row after winning a season-high five straight. Clippers 115, Suns 99: Danilo Gallinari had 28 points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles won its ninth straight home game. Devin Booker scored 23 points for Phoenix, which is off to the worst start in franchise history at 4-17.