Quick Hitters

Westbrook records 57-point triple-double in OKC win

ORLANDO, Fla. — Russell Westbrook had 57 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 114106 overtime win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

Westbrook, a leading MVP candidate, led the Thunder from behind by as many as 21 points in the second half as he recorded his 38th triple-double of the season. And like the 13-point outburst in the final three minutes against Dallas on Monday night for the win, Westbrook was again the catalyst as he hit big shots in the fourth quarter, including the tying 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds remaining to force the extra period.

Enes Kanter added 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Thunder, and Victor Oladipo had 13 points while returning to Amway Center for the first time since being traded by the Magic last June.

Evan Fournier finished with 24 points and Terrence Ross added 23 for the Magic.

The victory kept the Thunder in the hunt for a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference standings. The Magic, meanwhile, came in knowing they had been eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race.

But for three quarters of the game, it was the Magic who seemed to have the most to play for. That changed, however, late in the third quarter as Oklahoma began mounting a comeback. The Thunder never led in the fourth quarter, but they cut their doubledigit deficit to single digits to set up Westbrook’s heroics.

The Thunder definitely were the stronger team in overtime, scoring on their first four possessions to take a 112-106 lead in the first 2 ½ minutes. Westbrook scored five points during that stretch to help Oklahoma City outscore the Magic 10-4.

The crowd in Amway Center began shouting “MVP! MVP! MVP!” after Westbrook spun inside for the basket-and-1 with 3:17 remaining in overtime.