Thunder 99, Trail Blazers 90
Russell Westbrook scored 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and added seven rebounds and seven assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame an onslaught by Gerald Wallace and drew closer to clinching a playoff berth with a 99-90 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Kevin Durant struggled to 5-of-18 shooting but finished with 21 points for the Thunder (48-24), who have won three straight and 12 of 14 this month.
Wallace was two off his career high with 40 points on 16-of-28 shooting for the Blazers (42-31), who remain one-half game ahead of New Orleans i(42-32) in sixth in the Western Conference.
Oklahoma City looked like it would run away with it in the first half, taking a 55-41 lead into the half after a 34-point second quarter. But the Blazers, behind Wallace, began to chip away, beginning the third quarter with a 13-2 burst and staying close the rest of the way.
Portland would tie it on three different occasions in the fourth but never managed to take the lead as Westbrook responded, hitting a pair of 3-pointers to give the Thunder their biggest lead of the period, 90-82, with 4:05 on the clock.