Russell Westbrook scored 36 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and passed out six assists Sunday, sparking the Oklahoma City Thunder over Chicago 109-100 in a matchup of injury-hit NBA contenders.
Westbrook, raising his game while the Thunder are without 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant due to a foot injury, scored 12 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth to break open a tight game in the final minutes.
“My job is to keep attacking, be there for my team and just keep going,” Westbrook said.
OKC’s point guard ignited a crucial late 10-2 run for the Thunder with two free throws and a layup, then flipped a pass to unguarded reserve guard Anthony Morrow for a 3-pointer that gave Oklahoma City a 102-95 edge with 40 seconds remaining.
“I made sure to hit the open man and he made the shot,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook added another layup and two final free throws as the Thunder improved to 37-29, edging in front of New Orleans in the fight for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
“We have to come out and compete,” Westbrook said. “We have to come out every night and get a win.”
The Thunder opened the season 3-12 without Durant, who missed his 39th game of the season Sunday, but now own their best win percentage of the season.
The Bulls fell to 40-28, fourth in the Eastern Conference, with their fifth loss in six games.
Defenses dominated early, with the Thunder missing 14 of its first 16 shots but trailing only 9-6.
And while Spaniard Pau Gasol was hot early on, scoring 12 of his 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting at the start, his Chicago teammates began the game with a woeful 1-for-16 from the floor as the Thunder led 17-15 after one quarter and the game was deadlocked 47-47 at halftime.
Turkish centre Enes Kanter scored 18 points and pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds for Oklahoma City while New Zealand big man Steven Adams added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder before fouling out for the first time this season.
Nikola Mirotic came off the Chicago bench to lead the Bulls with 27 points, the Spanish-Montenegrin power forward going 8-of-18 from the floor and 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
