LDN - Sports

Westbrook triple-double lifts Thunder past Knicks

[February 16, 2017] OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City wasn't just carrying a simple two-game losing streak when it came into Wednesday night. Both losses to Golden State and Washington were blowouts in which they were never in contention to win.

Russell Westbrook wanted to make sure the Thunder were able to put those games behind them before heading into the annual All-Star weekend. Spearheaded by his 27th triple-double, Oklahoma City defeated the New York Knicks 116-105 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

"You always want to have a good feeling, a good taste in your mouth going into the break," Westbrook said. "And then you make sure you come back ready to play."

Westbrook scored 38 points to go with 14 rebounds and 12 assists. He now sits alone in third place all time for most triple-doubles in a single season.

Victor Oladipo poured in 21 points on 9 of 17 shooting. Jerami Grant came off the bench to score 13 points while Steven Adams added 11 points and eight rebounds to raise the Thunder to 32-25.

Oladipo was particularly impressed with what the Thunder got from Grant.

"He played great today," Oladipo said of Grant. "He needs to play like that every night."

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 30 points on 11 of 20 shooting. Derrick Rose collected 25 points and Courtney Lee scored 16 as New York dropped to 23-34.

With the Thunder leading by seven, Rose came up empty on a layup with under six minutes left in the game. The Thunder got the rebound and passed it ahead to Westbrook, who was fouled attacking the basket.

Westbrook sank two free throws to put Oklahoma City ahead 101-92. Anthony came back down the court and drained a turnaround jumper on Andre Roberson.

Westbrook was fouled again and he made 1 of 2 from the line. However, he grabbed his own rebound and then knocked down a 3-pointer for the four-point play and a 105-96 advantage.

"I did know I missed it," Westbrook said of the free throw. "Good thing I know when it's going to be short. I can usually go back and get it real quick. It's good for our crowd, it's good for our team. It hurts the other team, obviously. That's a good play for us."

After Courtney Lee hit a midrange jumper, Westbrook and Grant hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the Thunder pushed their lead to 111-96.

That was enough to close out the Knicks for the night.

Oklahoma City hit 12 of 23 shots from 3-point range and outrebounded New York 48-39.

"It's a strange thing, but when you're not scoring, your defense slacks off," Thunder coach Jeff Hornacek said. "I think that's what happened to them in the first quarter and to us almost the rest of the game."

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Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after a play against the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony was on the attack from the opening tip. Despite the defensive-minded Andre Roberson guarding him, he hit his first six shots of the night.

But it was more than Anthony, who helped the Knicks grow its lead to 17 in the first half. As a team, they knocked down 6 of 9 from 3-point land and it looked like they had taken the Thunder out of the game early.

But Oklahoma City found renewed energy on the defensive end and started forcing New York into turnovers. This allowed Oladipo and Westbrook to get out on the breaks for easy scores.

The Thunder backcourt combined for 20 points in the second quarter as Oklahoma City held a 62-60 halftime advantage.

"Just being aggressive," Oladipo said. "Being aggressive and shooting the ball with confidence and going out and protecting the win."

NOTES: The NBA announced Wednesday that Oklahoma City rookie Alex Abrines has been selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge Friday during All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. Abrines is replacing injured Philadelphia center Joel Embid. He is also joining fellow Thunder rookie Domantas Sabonis on the International Team. "I was surprised," Abrines said. "My first reaction was, 'How can I tell my fiancee?' "I was really happy. It's a great honor for me." ... New York C Joakim Noah missed his fifth straight game due to a strained hamstring. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Willy Hernangomez. "Hopefully these next seven to eight days will help it heal even more," Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. "I'm sure the trainers are giving him things to do so he will be ready when the break is over." ... Knicks G Brandon Jennings sat out with a sore Achilles. ... Former Oklahoma City C Kendrick Perkins visited the Thunder Wednesday during morning shoot-around. Coach Billy Donovan said there are no plans to sign the longtime veteran. ... New York F Carmelo Anthony is replacing injured Cleveland F Kevin Love in the 2017 All-Star Game Sunday.

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