Thunder 97, Hornets 92
Russell Westbrook had 29 points and 10 assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the host New Orleans Hornets 97-92 Friday night.
Kevin Durant finished with 25 points and six assists for the Thunder, who completed a stretch of seven of nine games on the road with a mark of 6-3. They now return home for four straight games and eight of the next 10.
Westbrook scored the last four points of the first half and added eight points, draining a pair of 3-pointers, and two assists to turn a seven-point halftime deficit to a 74-71 lead heading into the fourth.
New Orleans got seven quick points, a 3-pointer and two free throws by Trevor Ariza and a jumper by Chris Paul – to tie the game at 93-93 with 5 1/2 minutes left.
Jeff Green scored five points and Westbrook converted an acrobatic three-point play to provide the Thunder a 93-87 lead with 1:40 remaining. The Hornets had a chance to tie but Marco Belinelli missed a 3-pointer with 11 ticks left and Durant put away the game at the line.
David West scored 24 for the Hornets, who missed six straight free throws in the fourth in dropping their seventh game out of 10.