Westbrook’s triple-double leads Thunder past Nets

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. The Nets tasked their best defender, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, with the assignment of covering star guard Russell Westbrook.

Redick, who connected on his first six 3-point attempts, has made a 3 in 69 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the National Basketball Association.

NBA legend Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, praised Russell Westbrook for his loyalty to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Westbrook went off for 30 points (13-21 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 13 assists, 11 rebounds and one steal across 34 minutes in Friday’s 124-105 win over the Nets. Westbrook finished with his 41 career triple-double of 30 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.

“Too many paint attempts, too many rim attempts”, Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. He could have easily come to Charlotte … but he made a decision to stay here in Oklahoma. “He did a good job not settling”.

The 23-year-old New Zealander ended a run of two straight National Basketball Association games in single-figure scoring by finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in a game where Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook, who recorded his fourth triple-double of the season, had plenty of help.

After back-to-back losses in Los Angeles, the Brooklyn Nets traveled to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder.

The Thunder gave up 40 points in the first quarter to a Nets offense that has struggled all season. Brook Lopez hit four early ones to tie his career-high in a game. “We have to play about how they’re playing”.

Westbrook is having a historic season, averaging 31.8 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.5 rebounds through the Thunder’s first 12 games.

It wasn’t until Oklahoma City stopped settling for long jumpers and began to drive into the paint that they found success. As well as being his fourth triple-double of the season, it was his ninth game with 30 points or more. Oladipo’s floater in the closing seconds of the quarter put the Thunder up 96-82.

Alex Len and Alan Williams both posted double-doubles for Phoenix, while all of Brandon Knight (17), Devin Booker (13), Jared Dudley (16), Tyler Ulis (10) and Leandro Barbosa (13) all hit double digits. He was older than me, but he played for great high school teams at Agnes High School. “It was a really fun game because everybody was sharing the ball, and when somebody scored, everybody was just out there cheering for each other”.

Randy Foye, who got the start over Kilpatrick and Whitehead, had just a tragic effort against his former squad, even airballing a five-footer as the Thunder pushed the lead to 10.

In the early going, the Nets focused on containing Westbrook, as he scored eight points and dished out four assists in the first quarter. The Thunder will take on the Pacers in the team’s next game Sunday, and with in ranking 23rd in the National Basketball Association with 107.5 points per game allowed, Westbrook could very well be in line for another impressive showing in the box score.