Thunder at Pacers
The Oklahoma City Thunder look to cap a perfect road trip and extend their longest winning streak since before the All-Star break when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Russell Westbrook's 13th triple-double (20 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists) of the season propelled the Thunder to a 111-97 win in Philadelphia on Friday.
It was their third straight win, their second to begin the three-game trek and it gave them a three-game lead on the Los Angeles Clippers for third place in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant is averaging 27 points, 10 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.5 blocks on the trip and has at least 20 points in 54 straight games, two shy of the longest streak of his career. Indiana remains in seventh place in the East and is coming off a 101-94 overtime loss to Toronto on Thursday, falling to 1-7 in games that require an extra session. The Pacers have taken the last two meetings with the Thunder, including a 101-98 triumph at Oklahoma City on Feb. 19.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Oklahoma, FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE THUNDER (47-22): Forward Serge Ibaka was rested Friday night but Oklahoma City did not miss his prowess on the boards, as it dominated Philadelphia in that category by a 63-36 margin. That marks the seventh straight game in which the Thunder have had at least 10 more rebounds than their opponents and the 10th in a row in which they've had more boards overall. Westbrook had 18 assists - one shy of his season high - in the loss to Indiana last month.
ABOUT THE PACERS (36-32): Indiana, which is 1-1 thus far on a five-game homestand, has averaged just 87.7 points in regulation over its last three games. Leading scorer Paul George is averaging 16.7 points on 34.5 percent shooting during that stretch but had 22 points and a season-high 10 assists in the win over Oklahoma City in February. Solomon Hill had a slight breakout versus Toronto with a season-high 12 points and George Hill had 18, his best total since Feb. 1.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Westbrook's 13 triple-doubles ties him with Jason Kidd (2007-08) and Grant Hill (1996-97) for the most in a season over the past 25 years.
2. Indiana SG Monta Ellis is averaging 2.5 steals over a six-game stretch.
3. The Pacers have had a winning record at home for 26 straight seasons - the longest active streak in the NBA - and need one victory to extend it to 27.