Thunder 122, Nuggets 112
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook scored 30 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 122-112 victory over the Denver Nuggets Sunday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook collected 12 assists and nine rebounds to go along with his 11 of 17 shooting. Forward Kevin Durant added 26 points and 10 assists. Forward Serge Ibaka scored 19 points while center Enes Kanter came off the bench to post 21 points as the Thunder improved to 21-10.
Forward Kenneth Faried led the Nuggets with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Will Barton came off the bench to score 19 points while center Joffrey Lauvergne collected 18 points as Denver dropped to 12-19.
With 7:17 left in the fourth quarter, Kanter completed a 3-point play to give Oklahoma City a 101-97 advantage. Denver came up empty on offense and Kanter was fouled going for an offensive rebound. The ensuing free throws put the Thunder up by six.
Lauvergne came up with a layup before Westbrook threw down a dunk. Then Durant assisted on an Ibaka fastbreak dunk and Oklahoma City found itself leading 107-99 with 5:09 left on the clock.
Denver guards Gary Harris and Jameer Nelson hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Faried got a tip in to cut lead to three.
However, Durant connected on a pair of layups in traffic and Westbrook knocked down a pair of free throws and the Thunder were back up by seven with 2:20 left in the game. But it was guard Dion Waiters' steal and Thunderous dunk on Barton that threw the Thunder fans into a frenzy.
Durant hit a technical foul shot and Oklahoma City led by 10 to ice the game.
For the second straight game, Oklahoma City found themselves getting off to a slow start. Much of that was due to being unable to contain Faried, who had 10 points and three offensive rebounds in the game's first six minutes.
The Nuggets attempted to make Durant a non-factor by double teaming him each time he touched the ball near the paint. He was forced to pass the ball or take bad shots.
Westbrook and Ibaka picked up the slack as they accounted for 28 first-half points. However, Denver still led 61-53 at halftime.
Durant finally figured out the Denver defense in the third quarter. He scored 12 points to help give the Thunder a one-point advantage heading into the fourth.
NOTES: Denver coach Michael Malone said C Nikola Jokic has grown on him. "His intangibles are a lot greater than I thought they would be, not knowing much about him when I got the job," Malone said. "He has great work ethic. Committed himself. For a 20-year old rookie, he's never afraid." ... Oklahoma City F Anthony Morrow has gained confidence from the faith his teammates have in him. "That's huge when (Kevin Durant) and (Russell Westbrook) and those guys believe in me in those situations," Morrow said. "I know they believe in me, but in a game they actually make a concerted effort. Those guys were loading up, Kevin found me a few times and I was able to hit a few shots." ... Thunder coach Billy Donovan doesn't see his team being a finished product yet. "I think as a coach, I don't think you're ever satisfied where you're at," Donovan. "You're always trying to get better and improve. I've seen drastic improvement over the last six weeks from these guys in a lot of different areas."