Westbrook's triple-double leads Thunder past Nets
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook collected his fourth triple-double of the season to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 124-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Friday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook posted 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists to reach 41 career triple-doubles. He also became the second player in NBA history to record 13,000 points, 3,400 rebounds and 4,500 assists in his first 600 career NBA games. Oscar Robertson was first.
Oklahoma City's Victor Oladipo added 26 points and six assists. Center Steven Adams collected 15 points and six boards.
Brooke Lopez paced the Nets with 22 points on 8 of 16 shooting. Guard Bojan Bogdanovic scored 13 points while Anthony Bennett tallied 13 points as well.
With 5:15 left in the fourth quarter, Bennett cut the Thunder lead down to nine. But just as quickly Oladipo strolled to the other end of the court and nailed a 3-pointer to push the advantage up to 12.
After Oklahoma City's Andre Roberson missed a pair of free throws, a scuffle led to Adams being fouled. He made both of his foul attempts and the Thunder led 112-98.
The Nets came up empty on their offensive possession and Oladipo came back and drilled another 3-pointer that sent the fans to exits.
The Thunder dominated on the boards 46-30.
Brooklyn didn't hide its intentions when the game started. They were going to force long-range 3-pointers down Oklahoma City's throat any time they had a chance. Whether they came from set plays, transition or off loose balls, the Nets were hoisting them up with no conscience.
Lopez was the leading culprit. The 7-footer drained four of the teams eight 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Nets built a 40-34 advantage.
The Nets' willingness to fire the three-ball sucked the Thunder into the same tactic. However, Oklahoma wasn't as proficient in the first half, making only 3 of 14.
It wasn't until Oklahoma City stopped settling for long jumpers and began to drive into the paint that they found consistent success. Forward Joffrey Lauvergne was the biggest benefactor. When defenders left him to converge on Westbrook, it left him open for dunks or 3-pointers.
After trailing by 9, the Thunder went on an 18-6 run to close out the half and take a 64-61 lead into halftime.
The run continued into the second half. As Brooklyn's long-distance shots stopped falling, Oklahoma City was able to take advantage by getting out on fast-break opportunities.
Without the threat of the 3-pointer, the Nets offense stalled. They had no low-post threat and no point guard who could set up his teammates. They scored a total of 42 points in the second and third quarters combined.
NOTES: Heading into Friday's game against Brooklyn, Oklahoma City C Steven Adams had missed several layups and dunk attempts over his previous two games with his bandaged right hand. "He's never mentioned anything to me about his hand bothering him," Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said. "Certainly he has a wrap on it. If that's affecting him controlling the ball, he hasn't made mention of that." ... Growing up in New York, Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson was a big fan of Donovan, who also grew up in New York. "He was one of the guys I looked up to," Atkinson said. "We played in the same league. He was older than me, but he played for great high school teams at Agnes High School. And then when he was at Providence, I followed him. Great high school, great college career, now a great coaching career. Pretty good for a Long Island kid." ... Michael Jordan was Russell Westbrook's presenter as Westbrook entered the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday. During his introduction, Jordan seemed to take a shot at Golden State's Kevin Durant, who played in Oklahoma City for seven years. "(Westbrook) could have easily come to Charlotte. But he decided to stay here in Oklahoma," Jordan said. "I'm not here to try and bash anybody that's not here. Everybody has a choice. I'm not saying everybody doesn't have a choice. But when I saw he chose to stay in Oklahoma I was so proud, and as Clay (Bennett) knows and Russ know, I texted him to show a sense of respect."