Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is a man on a mission this season, and he notched his 10th triple-double of the year against the Miami Heat on Sunday.
Westbrook finished the game with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists for his second consecutive triple-double while Enes Kanter had 27 points and 12 rebounds in a huge win for OKC.
The Thunder have now won three in a row as they move to 40-30 for the season and continue to set the pace for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Coupled with the New Orleans Pelicans losing to the Los Angeles Clippers, it was a good night for coach Scott Brooks, although he will be aware of the Phoenix Suns making a late charge.
Anthony Davis returned for the Pelicans after sitting out the last two games with an ankle injury, but his 26-points and 12 rebounds weren’t enough to deny the hosts at the Staples Center.
Chris Paul put up 23 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists as the Clippers improved to 46-25 while dropping their opponents to 37-33.
In contrast, the Suns picked up an invaluable win over the Dallas Mavericks with Eric Bledsoe continuing his recent good form with 20 points, six rebounds and nine assists as Phoenix stay within two-and-a-half games of OKC.
Over in the East, the Atlanta Hawks were convincingly beaten by the San Antonio Spurs with Kawhi Leonard filling the stat sheet with 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was ejected in the second half, and so it wasn’t a happy reunion with former boss Gregg Popovich as the Spurs dominated from start to finish.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons picked up another big win for their playoff hopes as they defeated the Boston Celtics with Andre Drummond leading the charge with 18 points and 22 rebounds.
NBA Results
Cleveland Cavaliers 108-90 Milwaukee Bucks
Miami Heat 75-93 Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs 114-95 Atlanta Hawks
New Orleans Pelicans 100-107 Los Angeles Clippers
New York Knicks 89-106 Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards 86-109 Sacramento Kings
Detroit Pistons 105-97 Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets 119-100 Orlando Magic
Charlotte Hornets 109-98 Minnesota Timberwolves
Dallas Mavericks 92-98 Phoenix Suns
Philadelphia 76ers 87-101 Los Angeles Lakers
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