Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook came up clutch on Sunday as he led his team to a 109-100 win over the Chicago Bulls.
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In an epic battle between two teams that were separated by a last-ditch E’Twuan Moore three when they met recently in Chicago, they put on another entertaining show with Westbrook finishing the game with 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
There was some sweet play from Chicago big men Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah to start the game, and coach Tom Thibodeau will want to see more of that from them moving forward.
However, Westbrook would probably have been disappointed not to record another triple-double give his recent numbers and unstoppable play, but he will certainly be content with the win for his team which moves them to 37-29 for the season.
Nikola Mirotic had 27 points and four rebounds for the visitors, but ultimately it wasn’t enough as the Bulls fall to 40-28 for the season as their battle continues in a packed Eastern Conference between seeds two and five.
Enes Kanter, Steven Adams and Dion Waiters all finished with double figures, while Anthony Morrow had 11 off the bench including a dagger three-pointer to put the game away.
Pau Gasol had 20 points and Joakim Noah had 15, but Chicago were again dominated on the boards as they suffered another disappointing loss in the absence of injured pair Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose.
In contrast, the Thunder received a huge boost in their push for a playoff spot as they leapfrogged the New Orleans Pelicans into eighth in the West.
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