Timberwolves at Thunder
Russell Westbrook gets another big stage on which to display his prodigious talents Sunday when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas. Westbrook posted his 51st career triple-double and scored 20 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter on Friday in a win at the Boston Celtics.
Westbrook is in the MVP discussion and might top the list of most exciting players in the NBA after posting his third straight 40-plus performance on Friday and scoring at least 40 in a triple-double for the third time this season. "It’s important for me to know how to close games," Westbrook told reporters after Friday's triumph. "I watch film and figure out the best way to close games for my team. Tonight was a night where some shots fell and we got the shots we wanted." The Timberwolves have several players on the roster capable of exciting moments but no one that has yet developed the consistency of Westbrook. Zach LaVine scored a career-best 40 points for Minnesota on Friday but the Timberwolves crumbled in the fourth quarter of a 109-105 home loss to Sacramento and missed out on a chance to post their first three-game winning streak of the season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Oklahoma
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (9-20): Minnesota brought in coach Tom Thibodeau to mold its young roster, and he is trying hard to get them to understand that consistent effort on defense is the key to winning games. Thibodeau was upset after watching his team allow the Kings to shoot 52.5 percent from the floor and bury 15 3-pointers. "We didn’t take anything away," Thibodeau told reporters. "We were trying to outscore them, and we gave them everything. We gave them the paint, we gave them the three. We lacked discipline. There were stretches when we played well defensively. But you can’t pick and choose, you can’t rest, you can’t take plays off. Until we understand that, it’s going to be up and down."
ABOUT THE THUNDER (18-12): Finding a second and third scorer to compliment Westbrook is a nightly challenge for Oklahoma City, though a pair of rookies are beginning to emerge. Shooting guard Alex Abrines came off the bench and buried five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 18 points in a 121-110 win at New Orleans on Wednesday while starting forward Domantas Sabonis scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting in Friday's triumph. "My teammates were finding me open looks and I was just taking advantage of them," Sabonis told the team's website. "It was just fun out there. The most important thing was that we got the win."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Timberwolves SG Andrew Wiggins is 1-of-13 from 3-point range in the last four games.
2. Oklahoma City SG Victor Oladipo (wrist) sat out the last six games and is questionable for Sunday.
3. Westbrook delivered 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds in a 112-92 home win over Minnesota on Nov. 5.