Rose also returns and helps Bulls to win over the Celtics…
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On a busy night in the NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook made a statement in his comeback game with 32 points to guide them to the win.
Westbrook had 32 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as he roared back into action to help the Thunder secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
“The crowd helped me out,” he said. “I’ll fight through it. Just keep going and keep going, and hopefully, somebody calls a timeout.”
Serge Ibaka scored 14 points while Jeremy Lamb added 13 for the hosts, as they now await the return of MVP Kevin Durant who also returned to practice this week but has not yet been passed fit to return to competitive action.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls had Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah back in the line-up after injury, and they made it count with a hard-fought win over the Boston Celtics.
Rose scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half to help turn the game around, while Jimmy Butler finished the game with 22 points to help Chicago pick up an invaluable win after dropping four of their last six games.
Pau Gasol and Noah dominated though, with the Spaniard adding 15 points and 15 rebounds while the Frenchman finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks for the visitors as they improve to 10-6 for the season.
It wasn’t such a successful night for Eastern Conference leaders the Toronto Raptors, as they fell to defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
Monta Ellis scored 30 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter, as the Raps’ six-game winning streak was snapped as they fall to 13-3.
Kyle Lowry had 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists, but it wasn’t enough to stop Ellis taking over and taking the game away from the hosts.
Back over in the West, there were wins for the Golden State Warriors (13-2) and San Antonio Spurs (11-4), with Marreese Speights and Tony Parker filling the stat line.
Speights had 27 points and five rebounds while Parker put up 27 points and eight assists to guide their respective teams to victory.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies stay top of the West as they improved to 14-2 for the season following their win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Marc Gasol continued his strong start with 26 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.
NBA Results
Chicago Bulls 109-102 Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors 106-101 Charlotte Hornets
New Orleans Pelicans 91-100 Atlanta Hawks
Milwaukee Bucks 104-88 Detroit Pistons
Dallas Mavericks 106-102 Toronto Raptors
Los Angeles Clippers 102-85 Houston Rockets
New York Knicks 78-105 Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic 83-98 Indiana Pacers
Sacramento Kings 104-112 San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix Suns 97-122 Denver Nuggets
Memphis Grizzlies 112-99 Portland Trail Blazers
Minnesota Timberwolves 120-119 Los Angeles Lakers
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