Thunder ride Westrbook triple-double to win over Lakers
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook recorded his second consecutive triple-double to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 113-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook posted 33 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds while taking only 21 shots en route to his 39th career triple-double. Through three games, he is averaging 38.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 11.6 assists.
Victor Oladipo added 20 points, while Steven Adams scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Thunder (3-0).
D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle paced the Lakers with 20 points apiece. Randle also grabbed nine rebounds. Nick Young scored 16 for Los Angeles (1-2).
With 4:30 left in the fourth quarter, Westbrook fed Adams a pass that led to an easy layup. The Lakers gave the ball away, and Westbrook turned it into a breakaway dunk that put Oklahoma City up 99-91.
Young was then called for a charge when he ran over Oladipo under the basket. Westbrook was fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws to push the lead to 10. On the next possession, Westbrook threw an alley-oop to Adams, and the Thunder led 103-91 with 3:15 left.
Randle missed two free throws before Westbrook drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key that put the contest away.
As a team, the Thunder shot 47.4 percent from the field and turned the ball over 20 times. The Lakers had 22 turnovers, which Oklahoma City turned into 26 points, and shot 40.2 percent.
The Lakers came out moving the ball around and using their quickness to get the Thunder defense out of place. Randle scored eight points in the first six minutes against the bigger front line of center Adams and Domantas Sabonis.
The lead didn't last long, as Oklahoma City grinded its way back into the game. Oladipo found his shooting touch from beyond the arc and from mid-range.
However, it was the combination of Westbrook and Adams that was too much for the Lakers to handle. The two have nearly perfected their two-man pick and roll, which put the Los Angeles defense on its heels.
Besides Randle, the Lakers' offense went cold for much of the second quarter. As a team, Los Angeles shot 5 of 18 from 3-point range in the half, enabling the Thunder to storm ahead and take a 58-46 advantage into halftime.
The Thunder didn't shoot particularly well in the third quarter, but they controlled the backboards, which kept the poor-shooting Lakers from getting easy second-chance points.
Guard Jordan Clarkson kept the Lakers close as they trailed 77-71 heading into the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles could have been closer but they it trying and failing to complete alley-oop dunks in the paint over the Thunder big men.
Behind Enes Kanter, the Thunder tried to pull away in the fourth. He scored six consecutive points to put Oklahoma City ahead 92-79 midway through the quarter.
NOTES: After G Jose Calderon missed the first two games of the season with a calf strain, the Lakers activated him, and he played four scoreless minutes. ... Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan was asked if he is comfortable with Russell Westbrook taking 44 shots, as he did Friday. "I think when you take 44 shots, there are going to be certain shots that aren't great shots," Donovan said. ... Lakers coach Luke Walton said players like Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant find ways to separate themselves from other great scorers. "In my opinion, when you are that good at basketball, you can pretty much score whenever you want," Walton said. "It's finding a way to get your other teammates involved. What's the most effective way for you to play."