Pelicans at Thunder
Russell Westbrook is dragging the Oklahoma City Thunder to wins however he can and Anthony Davis is attempting to do the same with the New Orleans Pelicans, though with less success. Westbrook will try to collect his fifth straight triple-double and lead the Thunder to a fifth consecutive win when they host Davis and the Pelicans on Sunday.
Westbrook is the first player to average a triple-double (31.2 points, 11.3 assists, 10.5 rebounds) into December since Oscar Robertson after scoring 14 of his 35 points in overtime to give Oklahoma City a 125-116 win over Washington on Wednesday. "For me, every play matters," Westbrook told reporters. "You have to see what's going on in the game, and you can always impact the game in different ways. That's the type of player I am, trying to find ways to impact the game, whatever is going on." Davis leads the NBA in scoring (31.5 points) and blocks (2.68) while adding 10.9 rebounds. "He’s not settling for shots," New Orleans assistant coach Kevin Hanson told the Pelicans' website of Davis. "Going into this season, the focus was on attacking the defense. If the (jump) shot is there, he’ll take it, but we want him driving the ball more. He’s breaking guys down off the dribble more, selling shot-fakes."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, FSN Oklahoma
ABOUT THE PELICANS (7-13): New Orleans won four straight games when point guard Jrue Holiday returned to the lineup on Nov. 18, but since dropped three of four and slipped at the defensive end in a 114-96 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. "I just didn't think they felt us at all," coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "I didn't think that they felt like we were there and we were into them at all. I thought they were kind of running freely and shooting the ball freely and taking it wherever they wanted to." Davis suffered a shoulder injury early in the contest but battled through and is not expected to miss Sunday's game.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (12-8): Westbrook's exploits are leaving his teammates in awe, though the production is not unexpected. "It’s Russ, man," reserve guard Anthony Morrow told the team's website. "He’s unbelievable, man. Whatever it takes to win. It’s a byproduct of his hard work. That boy works hard. We see him in the gym every day." Westbrook continues to get scoring help from shooting guard Victor Oladipo, who is averaging 17.3 points and buried five 3-pointers in Wednesday's win.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pelicans G Tyreke Evans (knee) is getting closer to a return but is not expected to play on Sunday.
2. Thunder C Enes Kanter is 28-of-44 from the floor during the four-game winning streak.
3. Oklahoma City took two of the three meetings last season, winning both at home.