Westbrook notches 99th triple-double as Thunder top Kings

[March 13, 2018]  Paul George and Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points apiece to help the Oklahoma City Thunder register a 106-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

Russell Westbrook added 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 99th career triple-double. Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138) and Jason Kidd (107) are the only members of the century club.

Corey Brewer contributed 16 points for the Thunder, who shot 45.2 percent from the field and were 16 of 36 from 3-point range.

Bogdan Bogdanovic recorded 19 points and eight rebounds for the Kings, who dropped to 1-17 all-time in Oklahoma City.

Justin Jackson and Garrett Temple scored 15 points apiece, De'Aaron Fox had 11 points and 10 assists and Zach Randolph scored 10 points.

The Kings shot 40.9 percent from the field and were 12 of 33 from long range.

Sacramento scored 39 points in the third quarter after scoring 40 the entire first half.

Still, the Thunder led the entire period until the end when Temple hit a jumper with 5.4 seconds left to give the Kings a 79-78 lead.

Alex Abrines knocked down a 3-pointer with 7:26 remaining in the final stanza to give Oklahoma City a 91-85 lead. He buried another one with 4:40 left to stretch the Thunder lead to 96-87.

Fox scored on a layup to bring the Kings within 98-92 with 3:46 to play. Westbrook responded with a jumper and then fed Jerami Grant for a dunk to make it a 10-point advantage with 2:48 remaining.

 

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) attempts a shot between Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) and forward Justin Jackson (25) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Temple's 3-pointer pulled Sacramento within 104-99 with 1:01 left and Bogdanovic added two free throws to make it a one-possession game with 23.7 seconds left.

But Brewer made two free throws with 17.2 seconds to go as the Thunder closed it out.

Points were hard to come by in the first half as Oklahoma City took a 46-40 lead into the break.

The Thunder were better at making 3-point shots (9 of 19) than 2-pointers (7 of 23) while shooting 38.1 percent. The Kings shot a porous 29.2 percent.

Oklahoma City scored 17 points in the first 6 1/2 minutes before tallying 29 the rest of the half.

Bodganovic converted a four-point play to tie it at 37 with 1:32 left before Oklahoma City closed the half with a 9-3 burst.

--Field Level Media

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