The Thunder recorded their 8th straight win as Russell Westbrook recorded his 16th triple-double of the season as they crushed the Raptors at the Air Canada Center, Toronto tonight. This was his 7th triple-double of the month and has thus tied His Airness, Michael Jordan’s record for most triple doubles in a month. He also needs just one more triple-double to tie Magic Johnson’s record of most triple-doubles in a season. The Thunder are also 16-0 this season whenever Westbrook recorded a triple-double. The Thunder improved to 52-22 and stay in the 3rd place of the Western Conference, 10 games behind the Spurs and 6 games ahead of the Clippers meaning they have locked in the 3rd spot. The Raptors meanwhile are 49-24 and have now lost 3 of their last 4 games. They stay in the 2nd place of the Eastern Conference, 3 games behind leaders Cavaliers.
Toronto Raptors
DeMar DeRozan led the scoring for the Raptors as he ended the game with 19 points, 5 assists and 2 rebounds. Norman Powell had 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Kyle Lowry ended the game with 14 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds. Patrick Patterson added 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks coming off the bench. Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Raptors had trouble shooting all night as they made just 40.9% of their shots from the field, including a poor 33.3% from behind the arc. The Thunder were only slightly better as they shot 47.7% from the field and 42.7% from behind the arc.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Westbrook, this time, recorded a triple-double of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists tonight. Kevin Durant, however, led the scoring for the Thunder, as he ended the game with 34 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and a block. This is also the 59th consecutive game in which Durant has scored 20 or more points, a record. Serge Ibaka had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Dion Waiters added 15 points, 3 assists and 3 steals coming off the bench. Steven Adams had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Enes Kanter added 7 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. This game also marked Thunder’s 8 consecutive win, their longest streak since 2014.
Game Summary
The Thunder started off the game with a 22-11 run and that was just an indication that it was going to be a long night for the Raptors. Thunder led the game for the most of the 48 minutes and never looked in any kind of trouble. The Raptors recovered late in the first to end the quarter with a 10-5 run as the Thunder took the first, 27-21. The Raptors looked to have turned the tables when the opened the 2nd with a 10-3 run to take the lead, 31-30. However, the Thunder made an 11-0 run to storm back into a 41-31 lead that was complete with a Westbrook steal and jumper. The Thunder closed the quarter with a 9-0 run to take it 34-27 and went into the half leading, 61-48. The third quarter saw Kevin Durant go about his business, crossing over people. He scored 10 points in the 3rd. The Thunder also took the 3rd 36-26 with a strong 9-3 finish and went into the 4th leading by 23 points at 97-74. Westbrook and Durant were rested for the 4th but the Raptors made a 13-4 surge open the 4th. So, they were promptly sent back in to seal the game, which was what they did. Westbrook started off with this play hustling for the rebound from his own missed free throw to make a tip shot and complete a 3 points play. The Thunder sealed the game with a 18-8 run to lead 119-93 with a minute to go. Westbrook and Durant combined for 9 points and 5 assists during this run. The Raptors ended the game with a 7-0 run and took the quarter, 26-22. The Thunder took the game, 119-100.
Next up for the Thunder is a trip to the Pistons tomorrow. The Raptors meanwhile will meet the Hawks in a 2nd vs 3rd clash at home on Wednesday.
