Thunder at Trail Blazers
Oklahoma City All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook has been a
triple-double machine this season and he chases another one when the
Thunder visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Westbrook
recorded his 17th triple-double in Tuesday's 124-102 victory over the
Denver Nuggets, the most in a season since legendary Magic Johnson had
17 for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1988-89 season.
Westbrook, who typically downplays his accomplishments, was beaming at the company he is in after having 13 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists against the Nuggets. "It's a great honor," Westbrook told reporters afterward. "Whenever you're mentioned in the same sentence as Magic, it's always great. That's something you never take for granted." Portland has won five of its last six games after producing a 115-107 road win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday and stands a half-game behind the fifth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference race. Standout guard Damian Lillard is averaging 30 points during the past two games after scoring less than 20 in each of the previous five contests.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Oklahoma, KGW (Portland)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (54-24): All-Star forward Kevin Durant scored 26 points against the Nuggets and has scored 20 or more points in 62 consecutive games, the NBA's best streak since Kobe Bryant of the Lakers ripped off 63 straight during the 2005-06 campaign. Oklahoma City clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with its 10th win in 12 games and coach Billy Donovan expressed his appreciation for Westbrook's contributions. "He's one of those rare guys that can dominate a game without taking a shot," Donovan told reporters. "He distributed, he rebounded, he pushed the tempo. He created a lot of scoring opportunities for our team."
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (42-37): Small forward Maurice Harkless exploded for a season-best 20 points — all in the second half — and collected a career-high 16 rebounds against the Kings for his best all-around effort of the season. "This game is a lot about consistency and when you get consistent playing time, your play becomes more consistent," Harkless told reporters afterward. "I have a feel for the game right now, we have good chemistry and we're rolling right now." The double-double was the second in a row for Harkless, who has 10 or more rebounds in three of the past four games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Thunder are 2-1 against the Trail Blazers this season but lost 115-110 on Jan. 10 in their previous visit to Portland.
2. Portland SG C.J. McCollum is averaging 24 points during the past three games while making 13-of-22 3-point attempts.
3. Oklahoma City backup SG Dion Waiters had 18 points against Denver after averaging 4.7 points on 5-of-17 shooting during the previous three games.