Westbrook notches another triple-double as Thunder top Clippers

[March 17, 2018]  Russell Westbrook recorded his 22nd triple-double of the season with 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder made the plays down the stretch in a 121-113 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

It was Westbrook's 101st career triple-double, as he missed six of his first seven shots but he finished 7-of-17 from the floor.

Corey Brewer led Oklahoma City with a season-high 22 points and also tied a season high with six steals as the Thunder had a season-best 17 steals.

Paul George, who was questionable with a pelvic injury, contributed 19 points as Oklahoma City (42-29) won its fifth straight and moved one game ahead of fifth-place Minnesota in the Western Conference.

Steven Adams returned from missing Tuesday's win over Atlanta with a hip injury and totaled 18 points and 14 rebounds for his 23rd double-double. Adams also blocked six shots as Oklahoma City blocked 11 as a team.

Los Angeles forward Tobias Harris led all scorers with 24 points but did not score in the fourth quarter. Austin Rivers added 23 as the Clippers (37-31) lost for the sixth time in 15 games and dropped 1 1/2 games behind eighth-place San Antonio.

Lou Williams added 18 points and Milos Teodosic contributed 12 for Los Angeles, which committed 21 turnovers resulting in 31 Oklahoma City points.

 

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) takes the floor prior to action against the LA Clippers at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles hung around in the first half and sliced it to 52-48 on consecutive floaters by Williams, but Oklahoma City closed the half with a 15-8 spurt over the final three-plus minutes. The Thunder briefly took a 10-point lead in the third but settled for an 89-84 advantage going into the fourth.

Westbrook secured his latest triple-double in a dazzling sequence with about three minutes remaining.

With the Thunder up 112-107, Adams blocked Jordan's layup with 3:21 remaining and Westbrook grabbed his 10th rebound. Three seconds later, he scooped in a layup while Jordan was late to cover him for a 114-107 lead, and with 2:41 left, he hit a 22-footer for a nine-point edge.

Los Angeles had another chance to inch closer when Westbrook stepped out of bounds, but Rivers missed a 3-pointer with 2:08 left and Brewer buried a 3-pointer with 1:44 left for a 119-111 lead. Brewer then finished off his best game of the season by hitting two free throws with 24 seconds left for the final margin.

--Field Level Media

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