Pelicans at Thunder
Kevin Durant remains iffy as Oklahoma City hosts New Orleans on Friday in the teams' second meeting in three days. With Durant sidelined for the fourth time in five games due to a lingering toe issue Wednesday at the Pelicans, Russell Westbrook scored 45 points to lead the Thunder to a 102-91 victory. The win left Oklahoma City 11-16 without Durant and pulled the squad within a game of ninth-place New Orleans in the Western Conference as both teams attempt to track down the final playoff spot.
Westbrook has reached the 40-point mark twice in the last four games as he attempts to fill some of the gap created by Durant's absence. The Pelicans, who are in the midst of a stretch in which they play 15 of 20 games at home, had won six of seven before Wednesday's setback, their first loss in three meetings with the Thunder this season. Meanwhile, Friday marks the first game in a season-ending stretch that sees Oklahoma City play 21 of 33 games at home.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, FSN Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE PELICANS (26-23): The Pelicans will want to shore up their interior play prior to the rematch after they were outplayed underneath on Wednesday. Anthony Davis did finish with 23 points and nine rebounds but his fellow starting frontliners combined to produce 11 points and New Orleans was outscored in the paint by a 66-46 margin. Davis, who leads the NBA with 2.8 blocked shots per game, had only one and the Pelicans finished with three, compared to 10 for the Thunder.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (25-24): According to ESPN Stats and Information, Westbrook averages nearly a point a minute when Durant is not on the court while shooting nearly six percentage points better than he does with his running mate healthy. Another Thunder player who greatly benefits from a Durant-less lineup is reserve shooting guard Anthony Morrow, who is averaging 13 points in the last four games that Durant has missed. Thirteen of Morrow's 22 double-digit efforts have come when Durant has been sidelined.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Davis is averaging 21 points in five career games against the Thunder.
2. Thunder F Dion Waiters has started the last two games in place of Durant, averaging 16 points on 51.7 percent shooting.
3. Pelicans PF Ryan Anderson is averaging 17.7 points in six games since missing one contest with ankle inflammation.