Feb 15, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dunks the ball in front of New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Photo Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook racked up his 27th triple-double of the season to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 116-105 victory over the New York Knicks Wednesday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook scored 38 points to go with 14 rebounds and 12 assists. He now sits alone in third place all time for most triple-doubles in a single season.
Victor Oladipo poured in 21 points on 9 of 17 shooting. Jerami Grant came off the bench to score 13 points while Steven Adams added 11 points and eight rebounds to raise the Thunder to 32-25.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 30 points on 11 of 20 shooting. Derrick Rose collected 25 points and Courtney Lee scored 16 as New York dropped to 23-34.
With the Thunder leading by seven, Rose came up empty on a layup with under six minutes left in the game. The Thunder got the rebound and passed it ahead to Westbrook, who was fouled attacking the basket.
Westbrook sank two free throws to put Oklahoma City ahead 101-92. Anthony came back down the court and drained a turnaround jumper on Andre Roberson.
Westbrook was fouled again and he made 1 of 2 from the line. However, he grabbed his own rebound and then knocked down a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma City a 105-96 advantage.
After Courtney Lee hit a midrange jumper, Westbrook and Grant hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the Thunder pushed their lead to 111-96.
That was enough to close out the Knicks for the night.
Oklahoma City hit 12 of 23 shots from 3-point range and outrebounded New York 48-39.
Anthony was on the attack from the opening tip. Despite the defensive-minded Andre Roberson guarding him, he hit his first six shots of the night.
But it was more than Anthony, who helped the Knicks grow its lead to 17 in the first half. As a team, they knocked down 6 of 9 from 3-point land and it looked like they had taken the Thunder out of the game early.
But Oklahoma City found renewed energy on the defensive end and started forcing New York into turnovers. This allowed Oladipo and Westbrook to get out on the breaks for easy scores.
The Thunder backcourt combined for 20 points in the second quarter as Oklahoma City held a 62-60 halftime advantage.
NOTES: The NBA announced Wednesday that Oklahoma City rookie Alex Abrines has been selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge Friday during All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. Abrines is replacing injured Philadelphia center Joel Embid. He is also joining fellow Thunder rookie Domantas Sabonis on the International Team. “I was surprised,” Abrines said. “My first reaction was, ‘How can I tell my fiancee?’ “I was really happy. It’s a great honor for me.” … New York C Joakim Noah missed his fifth straight game due to a strained hamstring. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Willy Hernangomez. “Hopefully these next seven to eight days will help it heal even more,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “I’m sure the trainers are giving him things to do so he will be ready when the break is over.” … Knicks G Brandon Jennings sat out with a sore Achilles. … Former Oklahoma City C Kendrick Perkins visited the Thunder Wednesday during morning shoot-around. Coach Billy Donovan said there are no plans to sign the longtime veteran. … New York F Carmelo Anthony is replacing injured Cleveland F Kevin Love in the 2017 All-Star Game Sunday.
