The Russell Westbrook show was alive and well on Tuesday night as the Thunder beat the Heat, 106-94. Westbrook finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists as the Thunder won their fourth straight game. Maybe the most impressive part of Westbrook’s night was that he nearly snagged his 15th triple-double in the first half. By the time the Thunder reached the halfway point, Westbrook already had 10 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists with the Thunder in complete control against the Heat.
NBA scores 2016: Another night, another Russell Westbrook triple-double
Russell Westbrook logged his 15th triple-double of the season.
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Westbrook got his two big men, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter, going early and often. In the first half alone the Thunder had 40 points in the paint, which is no small feat when Hassan Whiteside is defending it. Whiteside did have four blocks on the night but it wasn’t enough to stop Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished with 58 total points in the paint and are currently leading the league in the category.
While Westbrook was spectacular, it was an all-around team effort for the Thunder, who had five players in double figures. Enes Kanter, who has been playing well as of late, spoke to NBA TV after the game regarding Russell Westbrook.
“I used to get double doubles, now he’s stealing all my rebounds,” Kanter said. “He’s making himself better but he’s making everybody else better around him. That’s what a special player does.”
Alex Abrines continues to find his place with the Thunder bench. The better Enes Kanter plays, Abrines follows. Abrines was 4-of-7 from the three-point line finishing with 14 points on the night.
Gerald Green had himself a night
Green came off the bench in a big way for the Celtics on Tuesday. He scored 10 points alone in the second quarter and finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and a +12 in the box score. Green is on a bit of a roll right now, scoring 27 points in his last 29 minutes on the court.
The Grizzlies finally lost on the second night of a back-to-back
The Grizzlies were 8-0 when playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Not anymore, thanks to the Celtics.
The Rockets swept the season series with the Mavericks for the first time since 1997-1998
For reference on how long it has been since this happened:
- Brandy and Monica released “The Boy is Mine”
- The Truman Show was the No. 1 movie of the year
- ER, Friends, and Frasier were still on NBC
Best dunk of the night
Worst dunk of the night
Final scores:
Thunder 106, Heat 94 (Welcome to Loud City recap | Hot Hot Hoops recap
Celtics 113, Grizzlies 103 (Celtics Blog recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap)
Rockets 123, Mavericks 107 (The Dream Shake recap | Mavs Moneyball recap)
Jazz 102, Lakers 100 (SLC Dunk recap | Silver Screen & Roll recap)
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