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Hot duo steals Rockets’ Thunder
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KEVIN Durant and Russell Westbrook sparked the Oklahoma City Thunder to a hard-fought win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday as a 24-point effort from James Harden ended in vain.
Durant bagged 23 points while Westbrook collected his 15th triple double of the season with 21 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds as the Thunder improved to 49-22 with their fifth straight victory.
It was Westbrook’s 34th career triple-double and sixth in March. It’s the most triple-doubles by a player in a season since 1988-89, when Magic Johnson had 17, and Michael Jordan 15.
Westbrook’s contribution included a decisive spell late in the fourth quarter when a three-point play put Oklahoma 92-90 ahead before he added a free throw immediately afterward to extend the lead to three points.
The Rockets clawed their way back to trail by only one point with 11.8 seconds left but a superb defensive play from Dion Waiters, leaping high to deflect a pass, effectively saved the game for the Thunder.
Elsewhere, the Charlotte Hornets gave their fans another rollercoaster ride to score a 105-100 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in New York.
The Hornets had rallied from a 22-point deficit to stun the San Antonio Spurs on Monday but on Tuesday the shoe was on the other foot as they survived blowing a 17-point lead to hang on.
Nicolas Batum scored 23 points and Jeremy Lin added 21 as the Hornets held their nerve in the decisive last quarter.
Batum and Lin made 15 of 28 shots from the field, including six of eight in the final 12 minutes.
“I think (Batum) is just confident. He made Jeremy play really well again tonight,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. “Nicolas really made the plays with the game on the line. When we needed him, he really made the big plays.”
Nets center Brook Lopez, who had 29 points, nine rebounds and a season-high six assists, bemoaned his team’s failure to seal a comeback win after the Nets had recovered from their early deficit. “I think it really just came down to them making shots and we didn’t,” he said.
In other games, it was: Heat 113, Pelicans 99; and Lakers 107, Grizzlies 100.
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