Butler scores 26 to lead Timberwolves past Thunder 104-88

By BRIAN HALL
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Taj Gibson and his teammates knew the Minnesota Timberwolves' four-game homestand was going to be tough.

After all, New Orleans, Cleveland, Oklahoma City and New York were coming to town. Well, three games in, Minnesota has answered the challenge and demonstrated how much it has grown this season.

Jimmy Butler scored 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had eight assists for the Timberwolves in a 104-88 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

"We were shaking our heads and just hoping that we can do well," Gibson said. "But the way we've been playing, we have a lot of confidence."

Andrew Wiggins added 19 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 12 rebounds as Minnesota pulled away in the second half to win its third game in a row and 10th in its last 13 overall.

Taking the season series 3-1 from division foe Oklahoma City capped a stretch in which the Timberwolves beat New Orleans by 18 points and Cleveland by 28. Minnesota led by at least 34 in each of those games.

Wednesday proved to be a bit tougher against the physical Thunder, but the Wolves outscored Oklahoma City 29-19 in the third and led by as many as 16 in the fourth.

"Guess we're, I don't know, growing a little bit," Butler said. "For us to go out there and guard the way we did, do what we talked about in shootaround and the day before in practice, it's huge for us. We're growing as a unit."

Russell Westbrook had 38 points and 10 rebounds, but the rest of the Thunder had a tough time shooting. Westbrook was 15 of 23 from the field, while his teammates were 17 of 56 (30.3 percent).

Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting, while Paul George finished 5 of 14 for 13 points for Oklahoma City, which has lost five of seven.

"We've got to lock in and get a win," Westbrook said. "That's all I can say."

George scored just two points in the first half.

"We were getting good looks," George said. "I thought we got shots that we'd been shooting all season. A lot of catch-and-shoot opportunities. It's like that. I think personally, I should've tried to play around the basket a little more, just to get something early, see the ball go down and work my way up."

The Thunder shot 28.6 percent in the third quarter (6 of 21). Meanwhile, the Wolves hit 62.5 percent (10 of 16) to take control.

NOT CLOSE THIS TIME

The first three games between the teams were decided by a combined nine-point margin. Minnesota won the first two games by a total of five points. Oklahoma City came back with a four-point win at home on Dec. 1 as George scored 36 points.

"I think both teams are probably a lot different today than when we faced all the way back in the beginning of December," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "I think maybe early in the year, they were maybe not as great defensively and now they're getting better. I thought tonight they played well."

TIP-INS

Thunder: G Andre Roberson missed his sixth straight game with left patellar tendinitis and coach Billy Donovan said he would also miss Saturday's game. ... Oklahoma City tied a season high with 20 turnovers. ... In the first three meetings, Thunder C Steven Adams was 27 of 33 from the field for a combined 64 points. He scored eight on 2-of-5 shooting on Wednesday.

Timberwolves: Minnesota held its opponent under 100 points for the seventh straight game. The last time the Wolves have held teams under 100 in seven consecutive games was Jan. 5-Feb. 8, 2007. ... Minnesota had its fifth consecutive sellout, the first time for the franchise since March 21-April 4, 2004. The Wolves won their sixth straight home game, the longest streak since the team won 14 in a row from Dec. 16, 2003-Feb. 6, 2004.

TEAGUE RETURNS

Minnesota point guard Jeff Teague returned after missing seven games with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Teague played 26 minutes and scored eight points with four rebounds and three assists.

Including a four-game absence for a sore right Achilles, Teague has missed 11 games this season. The Wolves are 6-5 without Teague and 20-11 with him in the lineup.

In his first season in Minnesota, Teague entered the night averaging 13.4 points and a team-high 7.3 assists per game.

UP NEXT

Thunder: Play at Charlotte on Saturday.

Timberwolves: Host the New York Knicks on Friday.

Butler scores 26 to lead Timberwolves past Thunder 104-88

By BRIAN HALL
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Taj Gibson and his teammates knew the Minnesota Timberwolves' four-game homestand was going to be tough.

After all, New Orleans, Cleveland, Oklahoma City and New York were coming to town. Well, three games in, Minnesota has answered the challenge and demonstrated how much it has grown this season.

Jimmy Butler scored 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had eight assists for the Timberwolves in a 104-88 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

"We were shaking our heads and just hoping that we can do well," Gibson said. "But the way we've been playing, we have a lot of confidence."

Andrew Wiggins added 19 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 12 rebounds as Minnesota pulled away in the second half to win its third game in a row and 10th in its last 13 overall.

Taking the season series 3-1 from division foe Oklahoma City capped a stretch in which the Timberwolves beat New Orleans by 18 points and Cleveland by 28. Minnesota led by at least 34 in each of those games.

Wednesday proved to be a bit tougher against the physical Thunder, but the Wolves outscored Oklahoma City 29-19 in the third and led by as many as 16 in the fourth.

"Guess we're, I don't know, growing a little bit," Butler said. "For us to go out there and guard the way we did, do what we talked about in shootaround and the day before in practice, it's huge for us. We're growing as a unit."

Russell Westbrook had 38 points and 10 rebounds, but the rest of the Thunder had a tough time shooting. Westbrook was 15 of 23 from the field, while his teammates were 17 of 56 (30.3 percent).

Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting, while Paul George finished 5 of 14 for 13 points for Oklahoma City, which has lost five of seven.

"We've got to lock in and get a win," Westbrook said. "That's all I can say."

George scored just two points in the first half.

"We were getting good looks," George said. "I thought we got shots that we'd been shooting all season. A lot of catch-and-shoot opportunities. It's like that. I think personally, I should've tried to play around the basket a little more, just to get something early, see the ball go down and work my way up."

The Thunder shot 28.6 percent in the third quarter (6 of 21). Meanwhile, the Wolves hit 62.5 percent (10 of 16) to take control.

NOT CLOSE THIS TIME

The first three games between the teams were decided by a combined nine-point margin. Minnesota won the first two games by a total of five points. Oklahoma City came back with a four-point win at home on Dec. 1 as George scored 36 points.

"I think both teams are probably a lot different today than when we faced all the way back in the beginning of December," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "I think maybe early in the year, they were maybe not as great defensively and now they're getting better. I thought tonight they played well."

TIP-INS

Thunder: G Andre Roberson missed his sixth straight game with left patellar tendinitis and coach Billy Donovan said he would also miss Saturday's game. ... Oklahoma City tied a season high with 20 turnovers. ... In the first three meetings, Thunder C Steven Adams was 27 of 33 from the field for a combined 64 points. He scored eight on 2-of-5 shooting on Wednesday.

Timberwolves: Minnesota held its opponent under 100 points for the seventh straight game. The last time the Wolves have held teams under 100 in seven consecutive games was Jan. 5-Feb. 8, 2007. ... Minnesota had its fifth consecutive sellout, the first time for the franchise since March 21-April 4, 2004. The Wolves won their sixth straight home game, the longest streak since the team won 14 in a row from Dec. 16, 2003-Feb. 6, 2004.

TEAGUE RETURNS

Minnesota point guard Jeff Teague returned after missing seven games with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Teague played 26 minutes and scored eight points with four rebounds and three assists.

Including a four-game absence for a sore right Achilles, Teague has missed 11 games this season. The Wolves are 6-5 without Teague and 20-11 with him in the lineup.

In his first season in Minnesota, Teague entered the night averaging 13.4 points and a team-high 7.3 assists per game.

UP NEXT

Thunder: Play at Charlotte on Saturday.

Timberwolves: Host the New York Knicks on Friday.

McCollum, Trail Blazers beat Thunder 117-106

By MURRAY EVANS
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- While Damien Lillard tries to get past a lingering injury, the Portland Trail Blazers are relying on each other to fashion a nice run of positive results.

CJ McCollum had 27 points and seven assists, and the Trail Blazers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-106 on Tuesday night in the opener of a four-game trip.

Shabazz Napier added 21 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 20 points and eight rebounds for Portland, which moved past Oklahoma City into second in the Northwest Division standings with its seventh win in its last nine games against the Thunder.

Portland has won four of five overall despite playing most of that stretch without Lillard, who sat out for the seventh time in the last nine games with a left calf strain.

"There's not as much pressure," McCollum said. "Obviously, you're down a guy like Damien, who's able to do everything . and can take over a quarter and bail us out at times. When we come on a road trip like this, the guys are like, `Oh, Damien's hurt. We're not supposed to win.' I think everybody plays a little bit looser, understanding that we're playing against upper-tier Western Conference competition.

"Executing and playing the right way has been big for us and being comfortable with making aggressive mistakes, then moving on."

Russell Westbrook had 22 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City, which is slumping a bit after playing well for most of December. The Thunder have dropped four of six, with three of those losses coming at home and another at Phoenix on Sunday.

Oklahoma City shot 44 percent from the field while Portland made 53.1 percent of its shots. Paul George scored 22 points for the Thunder, and Carmelo Anthony had 19.

"I think it's a lack of energy," Anthony said. "We played in spurts tonight. I think the last two games the energy has just been down. With that, we were one step behind on a lot of plays. We didn't put a full game together these past two games. As a result, we lost these two. ... It happens."

The Thunder closed to 83-76 with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter on a basket by Anthony, but Portland answered with a 13-1 run and led 96-77 after a 3-pointer by Al-Farouq Aminu with 10:25 left.

"That was a very good win, because of how good Oklahoma City is," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "I didn't think we played particularly well in the first half and we managed to have a lead and the third quarter was really good on both ends ... and the second unit was able to keep us going at the beginning of the fourth quarter."

TIP-INS

Trail Blazers: Stotts said he didn't have an update on Lillard's injury, "other than he's out." Napier made his sixth start of the season in Lillard's place. ... The Blazers are 12-8 on the road this season. ... Portland has scored more than 110 points in five straight games for its longest such stretch this season.

Thunder: Standout defender Andre Roberson missed his fifth straight game with left patellar tendinitis. Coach Billy Donovan said Roberson practiced a bit on Monday and Tuesday but would also miss Wednesday's game at Minnesota. Terrance Ferguson started in Roberson's place for the fourth straight game and went scoreless. ... Official Justin Van Duyne called George for a technical foul early in the second quarter for colorfully protesting a no-call after George drew contact on a layup attempt that missed. George responded by scoring 15 points in the final 9:37 of the half. ... George hit 5 of 9 3-point attempts and set a Thunder record with at least three 3-pointers in eight straight games.

NEXT UP

Trail Blazers: Visit Houston on Wednesday.

Thunder: Finish a back-to-back with a trip to Northwest Division-leading Minnesota on Wednesday.

Westbrook scores 31, OKC keeps rolling with win over Rockets

By CLIFF BRUNT
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma City is starting to have the look of a contender.

Russell Westbrook had 31 points and 11 assists to help the Thunder stay hot with a 112-107 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night.

Paul George scored 24 points and Carmelo Anthony added 20 for the Thunder, who won their fifth straight game and their 11th in their past 14. Oklahoma City shot 54.4 percent from the field against the Rockets, who entered the day with the best record in the Western Conference.

The Thunder started 4-7 after acquiring George and Anthony in the offseason, but they've charged back to the center of the West's playoff picture as they've figured out how to distribute the ball among their stars.

"Every night, teams guard us differently," Westbrook said. "Once we figure that out and see how teams are guarding us - find ways to make the game easier for (George and Anthony), and that's my job."

James Harden led the Rockets with 29 points, but he made just 7 of 18 field goals. The league's leading scorer was coming off back-to-back 51-point games.

"Give them credit," Harden said. "They made big-time shots. We had our chances, though. We had several chances, we just couldn't convert and we couldn't get stops when we needed to."

Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon each scored 20 points and Clint Capela added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Houston, which lost its third straight.

Houston point guard Chris Paul sat out with a groin strain. The Rockets are 15-1 when he plays and 10-6 when he doesn't.

The Thunder held the Rockets below their league-best average of 115.4 points per game. The Rockets made just 12 of 37 3-pointers.

"I thought tonight we made multiple efforts, which we knew we was going to have to do against a fast-paced team like that, a team that likes to move the ball, play fast, put up a lot of shots, put up a lot of 3s," Anthony said. "We knew that we was going to have to scramble tonight, and I thought we did a great job tonight of not getting frustrated when they did make some tough shots, make some 3s."

Westbrook shot 4 for 14 in the first half but made his last two before the break to help the Thunder lead 58-57 at halftime. Harden had 11 points in the first half but made just 1 of 8 shots.

Westbrook broke away for a fast-break dunk to give the Thunder a 65-59 lead early in the third quarter. The Rockets rallied, and the score was tied at 88 heading into the fourth.

Houston had the ball down by three in the final minute. Harden missed a wild 3-pointer while trying but failing to draw a foul, and the Thunder got control in a scramble. Westbrook found Andre Roberson for a layup with 21 seconds left to put the Thunder up 112-107.

Westbrook scored 11 points in just under nine minutes in the fourth quarter.

"I'm coming," he said. "That's what I bring to the table. Once I hit the floor, it's nonstop."

TIP-INS

Rockets: Capela returned to the starting lineup. He had missed the previous two games with a left heel contusion. ... Houston committed just one turnover in the first quarter and 14 overall.

Thunder: Roberson left in the first quarter but returned later in the period with fingers taped together on his left hand. ... C Steven Adams had 12 points and six rebounds in the first quarter and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds ... George and Anthony had three fouls in the first half. George finished with five and Anthony with four.

QUOTABLE

Anthony played without his shooter arm sleeves early in the game and didn't feel like himself without them.

"That wasn't me out there," he said. "Honestly I don't know who that was out there. I swear, I don't know who that was."

STAT LINES

Westbrook, George and Anthony combined to make 16 of 22 field goals in the second half.

UP NEXT

Rockets: At Boston on Thursday night.

Thunder: Host Toronto on Wednesday night.

Adams pushes Thunder past Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS -- On a night when Oklahoma City's big three of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook all struggled from the field, the Thunder's Steven Adams was on target.

"He was great," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "He kept fighting for offensive rebounds and kept so many plays alive. He rim-protected and rolled to the basket. Those guys have confidence throwing the ball to him. Steven has gotten better finishing, but he's also gotten better at passing the ball out."

The 7-foot Adams scored 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, to lead the Thunder to a 100-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

"They were just falling my way," Adams said of his offensive rebounds.

Oklahoma City (13-14) registered its first two-game season sweep of Indiana since 2012-13 and snapped the Pacers' four-game winning streak.

In his return to Indiana, George was booed loudly when introduced and every time he touched the ball throughout the game.

George, a four-time All-Star, was traded to Oklahoma City in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis after he told the Pacers he didn't plan to re-sign with the team following the 2017-18 season. George was limited to 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting Wednesday.

"He had incredible poise," Donovan said. "He didn't shoot well, but I thought his defense was critical."

George knew the environment would be tough.

"I'm glad the circus is over with, now everybody can move on," George said. "I'm not sure what they (fans) wanted me to be, a circus act or some kind of show. I played my hardest. I played everything. I thought I took what the city is about and that's being blue collar."

Despite shooting 3 of 17 from the field, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook delivered his ninth triple-double of the season with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.

"Russell was terrific in the first half," Donovan said. "He only took five shots and had nine assists."

Anthony scored 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting. The Thunder shot 36 of 88 from the floor, 40.9 percent.

Oladipo led the Pacers (16-12) with 19 points, but had a rough shooting night, 9 of 26 from the floor.

"I know he did a good job on me defensively," Oladipo said of matching up with George. "It was the first time I've had a defender like that guard me since I've been on this team. They were just trying to deny me."

Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 for the Pacers and Darren Collison 14. Thaddeus Young had 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals. The Pacers shot 40 of 89 on field-goal attempts, 44.9 percent.

Oladipo's driving layup sliced Indiana's deficit to 96-94 with 1:07 to go. Following a miss by Carmelo Anthony, Young was first ruled for an offensive foul but it was overturned. Young then hit the first for two throws to make it 96-95. A put-back by Alex Abrines gave the Thunder a 98-95 edge with 15.2 seconds remaining.

"I was just in the right place and the right time," said Abrines, who had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

George came up with a steal and hit both free throws to make it 100-95 with 10.7 seconds left.

The Thunder held a 52-42 rebounding edge

"We've got to get stronger," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "We've got to get more physical. I thought they really got into us defensively."

McMillian said the Thunder did a much better job of drawing fouls as well. The Thunder were 15 of 24 from the foul line while the Pacers were 4 of 6.

The Thunder sank 12 of 23 shots in the second quarter to produce a 29-19 edge in the period en route to a 51-46 lead at halftime. The Pacers regained the lead at the start of the third quarter before ending up trailing 73-69 entering the fourth.

Lance Stephenson sank a jumper at the first quarter buzzer to give the Pacers a 27-22 lead.

NOTES: Pacers G Darren Collison returned to the starting lineup after missing the Sunday game with a sore left knee. ... Pacers F Thaddeus Young has scored in double figures in 23 games, including seven straight and 12 of 13. ... NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended the game. Silver announced earlier in the day that Indianapolis will host 2021 All-Star Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Entering the game, Oklahoma City led the NBA in steals per game (10.0) and opponents' turnovers per game (18.0). The Thunder had 10 steals and the Pacers 13 turnovers on Wednesday night.

Thunder's Westbrook lowers boom on Jazz

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook heated up and the Oklahoma City Thunder started their push back.

But it was a stretch early in the fourth quarter with Westbrook and two of the Thunder's other starters on the bench that lit the fuse in Oklahoma City's 100-94 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

"It's very satisfying when the bench comes in and we don't retreat, we don't have any lapses," Thunder forward Patrick Patterson said. "It's very satisfying. For us to come in and give us some momentum and the starters come back in and just build on that and just take it up another notch, it was good for us."

The win was the third consecutive for the Thunder (11-12), who beat the Jazz for the 13th consecutive time at home.

Westbrook started the pushback in the third quarter after Oklahoma City fell behind by 17 with four minutes to go.

"Russell Westbrook, the MVP of the league, got going," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "I thought in the third quarter he gave them a lot of energy and gave them points."

The reigning most valuable player scored 11 of the Thunder's 13 points the rest of the quarter to cut the lead to 12 before giving way to Patterson and the rest of the second unit for a bit to start the fourth.

The group that included Paul George, Andre Roberson and bench players Patterson, Raymond Felton and Jerami Grant cut the Jazz lead to six before the rest of the Thunder's starters re-entered with 7:30 remaining.

The Thunder outscored the Jazz 24-12 the rest of the way, with Utah (13-12) scoring only 14 points in the fourth quarter.

"I thought we ran out of steam a little bit just emotionally," Snyder said. "We've got to be able to play through that, but I thought all in all, obviously you want to win, but there's a lot of good things that we did."

The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Utah.

Westbrook had his seventh triple-double of the season, finishing with 34 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds.

George added 21 points while Steven Adams scored 20 points, his third consecutive game with 19 or more. Adams was 9 of 10 from the floor and also grabbed nine rebounds.

"The reason why Steven is doing what he's doing is because of Carmelo Anthony and Paul George," Donovan said. "When we're patient on offense, Steven's going to get those opportunities.

"Steven's not doing anything different from maybe he's done in the past. It's not like we're throwing the ball into the low post and this guy's going to a variety of different moves. He's catching it in the lane, he's making floaters, and if he doesn't have a floater, he's making extra passes.

"He's offensive rebounding. He's going those things, but it has to do with a lot of those guys around him on the floor."

Anthony had 14 points for his first double-digit scoring performance in the win streak.

Utah (13-12) managed only 14 fourth-quarter points as Oklahoma City scored 32 to finish off the comeback.

Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 31 points and Joe Ingles added 16.

Anthony and George combined for 19 points in the fourth quarter to help Oklahoma City complete the rally.

Westbrook picked the ball away from Mitchell with 4:14 left and finished it off on the other end to put the Thunder up 88-87, their first lead since the opening moments of the game.

It was one of two critical turnovers for Mitchell down the stretch.

After the Jazz regained the lead briefly, George drove to the basket, finishing and picking up the foul to put the Thunder back in front.

Mitchell turned the ball over again on the ensuing possession, and this time it was Anthony finishing on the other end, taking a feed from Westbrook and hitting a step-back jumper to extend the lead.

The Thunder outrebounded the Jazz 23-13 in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma City is 3-9 in games decided by eight points or fewer, though all three wins have come during the current winning streak.

NOTES: Jazz PG Raul Neto, a night after returning from two games out with an injury, missed the game with right foot soreness. Utah G Rodney Hood sat out his fifth consecutive game because of left ankle soreness. ... Thunder PG Russell Westbrook blocked his 200th career shot, becoming the only player in NBA history with 200 blocks, 5,000 assists and 15,000 points in his first 700 career games. ... Utah G Thabo Sefolosha played in the game a night after being removed by referees when he took an elbow to the head from teammate Neto. ... Thunder C Steven Adams made his first seven shots from the field.

Pelicans rally after Cousins ejection, beat Thunder 114-107

By BRETT MARTEL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When DeMarcus Cousins got tossed, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and the rest of the New Orleans Pelicans locked in.

Davis had 36 points and 15 rebounds, Holiday added 18 points, and New Orleans rallied after Cousins’ ejection to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-107 on Monday night.

“We didn’t think it was that fair. He doesn’t do anything intentional,” Holiday said of Cousins, who was assessed a flagrant foul for swinging an elbow near Thunder star Russell Westbrook’s head. “We just wanted to win for him.”

Cousins had 18 points and nine rebounds before his ejection with five minutes remaining in the third quarter and did not speak with reporters after the game.

Cousins raised his elbow near Westbrook’s face after grabbing a rebound, and the Thunder guard dropped to the floor holding his head. Westbrook remained in the game and finished with 22 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals. However, Westbrook also missed 13 of 19 shots.

Westbrook also did not discuss Cousins’ foul, but did lament “mental errors” that plagued Oklahoma City while they were losing a lead that was 19 points in the first quarter.

“Guys got to take personal pride and understand how important it is to go out and compete and not take it for granted,” Westbrook said. “As players, you go out on the floor, and sometimes you take it for granted and don’t realize how important it is to embrace the moment. Each individual guy has to do that every night.”

New Orleans trailed 76-72 when Cousins was ejected, but surged ahead soon after with an 11-3 run during which Jameer Nelson, E’Twaun Moore and Darius Miller each hit 3s. Nelson banked in his 3 from near half-court as the shot clock expired.

Davis helped New Orleans end a two-game skid with his typical array of dunks, layups and clutch mid-range shots. He also hit 18 of 22 free throws.

“It was tough losing (Cousins), being one of our star players, but anything is liable to happen in a game,” Davis said. “So guys stepped up and were ready to play.”

Paul George hit six 3s en route to 26 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 19 for Oklahoma City, which lost its second straight in similar fashion, having blown a 23-point lead in San Antonio on Friday night.

“We’re too good of a team to allow a team to tie it up after we go up 20,” George said. “Games are built on runs. That’s going to happen. But we’ve got to eliminate how much of a run we allow.”

TIP-INS

Thunder: Oklahoma City led 25-6 on Alex Abrines’ 3 in the first quarter, but the Thunder fell into a tie early in the second quarter before going back up by eight at halftime after George’s 3 made it 65-57. .... Steven Adams had 15 points and Jerami Grant 10 points.

Pelicans: The 6-foot-4 Moore, normally a reserve shooting guard, started at small forward and scored 12 points. ... Miller had 11 points for New Orleans, hitting three of four 3-point shots. ... Davis had seven turnovers. ... Guard Tony Allen returned from a four-game absence cause by left knee swelling. He had six points and six rebounds in nearly 19 minutes.

COUSINS’ EXIT

From video replays displayed on the arena scoreboard, it appeared Cousins made contact with Westbrook, but it was difficult to discern whether contact was made with the Thunder star’s head or shoulder, or whether the impact was significant.

Officials did not eject Cousins from the game until after viewing replays on a TV at the scorers’ table, after which they called a flagrant two.

Hard contact is not required for a flagrant two — only an act deemed “unnecessary and excessive.”

Allen said Cousins’ “emotions got the best of him,” and that his history of outbursts seems to be held against him in such situations. Allen also asserted that Westbrook “definitely” flopped.

Westbrook “took advantage of Cousins’ history. He was going to get the best of that call,” said Allen, a 14-year veteran. “You saw him get right back up and miss the free throw.”

UP NEXT

Thunder: Host Golden State on Wednesday night.

Pelicans: Host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

George held to 10 vs. former team; Thunder still beat Pacers

By CLIFF BRUNT
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George scored just 10 points against his former team, and it was the kind of game he had longed for.

Russell Westbrook’s triple-double picked up the slack and helped the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 114-96 on Wednesday night.

The Pacers traded George to Oklahoma City after it became public knowledge that he didn’t plan on staying with the team long-term. George, a four-time All-Star while he was with the Pacers, savored being able to have an off night while his team still won comfortably. Westbrook finished with 28 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds and Carmelo Anthony had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder to take the pressure off George.

“That hasn’t happened often in my career,” George said. “Fortunate to have those guys carry me. They know how big this game was for me, and they went out and got it for me.”

George rarely fouls out, but he committed his sixth with 6:15 remaining after playing just 19 minutes.

“It’s a coincidence, right?” George said. “I don’t know what was the cause. It was an agenda tonight.”

Steven Adams added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who snapped a two-game skid.

Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, who were sent from Oklahoma City to Indiana as part of the George deal, both started against their former team. Oladipo scored 35 points on 11 for 18 shooting.

Oladipo downplayed facing the Thunder.

“Yeah, just another game, man,” Oladipo said. “We have to go out and try to win. Unfortunately we came up short.”

Oladipo increased his scoring average to 26 points per game. He has thrived in coach Nate McMillan’s up-tempo offense.

“Vic’s been playing really well for us,” said Pacers guard Darren Collison, who scored 18 points. “He has a good flow. It’s good to have a player like that, that can get it going the way he’s been getting it going. Hopefully we get some wins with that and make us productive.”

The Thunder led 54-48 at halftime behind 15 points from Anthony and 11 points and 10 assists from Westbrook. Oladipo scored 21 points before the break.

Oklahoma City got it going early in the second half. A 3-pointer by Josh Huestis put the Thunder ahead 70-57. A driving layup by Westbrook expanded the lead to 82-66 with about three minutes left in the period.

Westbrook had eight rebounds when he sat down to rest late in the third. He returned in the fourth period and grabbed his 10th rebound with just under five minutes remaining.

“He was great tonight,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “Overall, I felt like he surveyed and managed the game and the floor, moving guys around. He did an exceptional job.”

TIP-INS

Pacers: The Oklahoma City crowd greeted Oladipo and Sabonis warmly during pregame introductions. ... Sabonis got his fourth straight start at center in place of Myles Turner, who was out again with a concussion and a sore neck. Sabonis finished with four points. ... Indiana was coming off a 130-107 win at Minnesota on Tuesday night. ... McMillan was issued a technical foul early in the fourth period.

Thunder: Anthony made a layup at the buzzer to end the first period. ... Rookie G Terrance Ferguson played in the fourth period. He sat out Sunday’s game against Minnesota with a sprained left ankle.

QUOTABLE

Oladipo, when asked if he was comfortable at Chesapeake Energy Arena: “I’m comfortable on this team.”

STAT LINES

Adams has made 24 of 36 shots this season after having ranked among the league leaders in field goal percentage last season. He is averaging 13.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

UP NEXT

Pacers: Indiana hosts the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Thunder: Visits the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Minnesota’s Andrew Wiggins banked in a buzzer beater from near half-court to beat the Thunder 115-113 last Sunday.

Wiggins’ heave banks in, leads Timberwolves past Thunder

By CLIFF BRUNT
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Andrew Wiggins didn’t have time to get near the basket for a final shot.

Just inside halfcourt was close enough.

Wiggins’ desperation heave banked in as time expired to give the Minnesota Timberwolves a 115-113 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.

“I could see how much time was left,” Wiggins said. “I got as close as I could and let it go.”

Carmelo Anthony had hit a 3-pointer with about five seconds left to give the Thunder the lead. The Timberwolves were out of timeouts, so they had to scramble. Taj Gibson inbounded to Wiggins, who rushed up the court and got free with help from a crushing pick by Karl-Anthony Towns before pulling up for the winner.

“Everything worked perfectly,” Wiggins said. “Taj found me. KAT had a great screen. When it left my hands, the release felt amazing.”

Gibson said the Timberwolves practice those kinds of plays regularly.

“We practice it six times in practice every day,” Gibson said. “Once I got the ball, my job is to take the ball out, be patient, look for the open man, look for the guy running the baseline. I was trying to get Jeff (Teague), but Wig was wide open. KAT did what he was supposed to do, backscreen, and the rest is history.”

Thunder forward Paul George got knocked down on Towns’ screen, and it freed up Wiggins.

“I did see Paul go down, but I didn’t have a great look to see how he went down and why,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “If it was an illegal screen, the officials will deal with that stuff. For me it’s about focusing on our team and what we have to do and what we could have done differently.”

Wiggins scored 27 points and Towns had 27 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota (2-1).

Russell Westbrook scored 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter for the Thunder (1-2), who were coming off a loss at Utah on Saturday night. Anthony scored 23 points and Steven Adams had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Minnesota led 61-54 at halftime behind 13 points from Towns and 10 from Wiggins. Adams scored 14 points before the break. The Timberwolves fought off several bursts by the Thunder and led 88-75 at the end of the third quarter.

The Thunder opened the fourth quarter with a five-point run that led to a Minnesota timeout. Oklahoma City continued the surge and got the crowd back into the game. A three-point play by Anthony cut Minnesota’s lead to 90-87 as Westbrook returned to the game from a rest.

Adams converted a three-point play to cut Minnesota’s lead to 106-105 with 1:50 to go, and a 3-pointer by Westbrook tied the game at 110.

Minnesota hung tough, and Wiggins bailed out the Timberwolves.

“You take them any way you can get them,” Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Great shot by a great player.”

___

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Gibson, who started for the Thunder at the end of last season, had 11 points and 10 rebounds. ... Shot 57 percent in the first quarter to lead 28-23. ... Minnesota beat Utah at home on Friday. ... Jeff Teague scored 19 points and Jimmy Butler added 15.

Thunder: Adams had eight points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first quarter. ... Raymond Felton and Jerami Grant each scored 12 points.

QUOTABLE

Towns on Wiggins’ shot and the final sequence: “Wig is amazing. He’s been hitting that shot, weirdly enough, the whole offseason in practice. The one thing that came through my mind if I didn’t catch it was to set a screen for somebody and just try to get someone one. I’m glad Wig was able to capitalize on it. We were able to escape with a win, especially with me not playing as well as I like to.”

GEORGE’S STRUGGLES

George has made just 23 of 62 shots this season. He scored 14 points on 6-for-20 shooting against the Timberwolves.

“I thought Paul got some really good looks, and it was just one of those nights where the ball didn’t go in, but he impacted the game other ways defensively,” Donovan said. “I’m not worried about him shooting because he’s such an elite shooter.”

UP NEXT:

Timberwolves: Host the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

Thunder: George will play against the team he was traded from on Wednesday when the Thunder host the Indiana Pacers.

Knicks trade Anthony to Thunder

The New York Knicks agreed to trade 10-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to multiple reports Saturday.

The Thunder will send center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick via the Chicago Bulls to the Knicks, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 33-year-old Anthony will waive his no-trade clause and his $8.1 trade kicker to accommodate the deal, according to ESPN.

A trade call is scheduled for Monday to finalize the deal with the league office, sources told The Vertical.

Anthony previously told the Knicks he would only waive his no-trade clause for the Thunder, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Anthony joins MVP Russell Westbrook and newly acquired All-Star forward Paul George in a reshaped and Western Conference contender. Both players reportedly played a significant role in recruiting Anthony to waive his no-trade clause for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder are making a major commitment with the Anthony deal, incurring $27 million in luxury tax for the 2017-18 season. He has two years and $54 million left on his contract, including a player option for $27.9 million on the 2018-19 season.

Talks between Thunder general manager Sam Presti and Knicks GM Scott Perry intensified in 24 hours before Saturday's agreement, league sources told ESPN.

Anthony could take part in the start of Thunder training camp on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

The Knicks stated publicly on Friday that Anthony would return to the team for the start of training camp, but an increased level of urgency began over the weekend, The Vertical reported.

Anthony had a no-trade clause as part of the maximum contract he signed in 2014 and declined a trade from the Knicks throughout the turmoil of Phil Jackson's tenure as president of basketball operations.

Anthony averaged 22.4 points on 43.3 percent shooting along with 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 74 games with the Knicks last season, his seventh in New York and 14th in the NBA.

Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LeBron James lead 2016-17 All-NBA first team

Houston Rockets guard James Harden was unanimously voted to the 2016-17 All-NBA First Team, and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James matched an NBA record with his 11th First Team selection, the NBA announced today.

Harden (500 points) was the only player named to the First Team on all 100 ballots, earning First Team honors for the third time in the last four seasons.  James (498 points) received 99 First Team votes, joining Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone as the only players in league history to make the All-NBA First Team 11 times. 

The All-NBA First Team also features three players who were each selected to the First Team for the second time: Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook, who joined James in totaling 99 First Team votes and 498 points, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (96 First Team votes, 490 points) and New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis (45 First Team votes, 343 points).   

The All-NBA Second Team includes three players making their All-NBA debuts: Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas.  They are joined by two Golden State Warriors, guard Stephen Curry (fourth All-NBA selection) and forward Kevin Durant (seventh All-NBA selection).

The All-NBA Third Team consists of forwards Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls and Draymond Green of the Warriors, guards DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors and John Wall of the Washington Wizards and center DeAndre Jordan of the LA Clippers.  Butler, DeRozan and Wall are first-time All-NBA selections.  Green was named All-NBA for the second time, while Jordan earned his third All-NBA honor.

The NBA’s remaining 2016-17 award winners will be revealed during the inaugural NBA Awards on TNT, which will be hosted by platinum-selling recording artist and multifaceted entertainer Drake on Monday, June 26 (9 p.m. ET) at Basketball City in New York. 

The finalists for the following awards will be unveiled during a special 90-minute edition of TNT’s NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader on Friday, May 19 at 7 p.m. ET.: Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, Kia NBA Most Improved Player and NBA Coach of the Year.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.  The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.  Voters were asked to select two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, picking players at the position they play regularly.  Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position where they received the most votes.

Complete media voting results will be posted at NBA.com/official the night of the NBA Awards.  Click here for the list of 100 media voters for the All-NBA Teams.   

Here is a closer look at the All-NBA First Team:

• James Harden, Rockets: Harden averaged career highs of 29.1 points (second in the NBA), 11.2 assists (first) and 8.1 rebounds, helping Houston finish with the league’s third-best record at 55-27.  The 6-5 guard led the NBA in free throws made with 746 and ranked third in three-pointers made with 262.  He recorded a career-high 22 triple-doubles, tied for the NBA’s sixth-highest total in a single season.

• LeBron James, Cavaliers: In his 14th season, James set career highs in assists (8.7 apg; sixth in the NBA), rebounds (8.6 rpg) and triple-doubles (13; third in the NBA).  The 6-8 forward also ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring with 26.4 points per game, extending his league record for consecutive seasons of averaging 25.0 points to 13.  With 11 First Team selections (including 10 straight) to go with two Second Team nods, James has made an All-NBA Team in each of the last 13 seasons. 

• Russell Westbrook, Thunder: Westbrook set an NBA single-season record with 42 triple-doubles and joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in league history to average a triple-double for a season.  He averaged a league-leading 31.6 points to go with 10.7 rebounds (10th in the NBA) and 10.4 assists (third in the NBA).  In winning his second scoring title in three seasons, the 6-3 guard paced the NBA in games with at least 20 points (72), 30 points (44), 40 points (18) and 50 points (four).

• Kawhi Leonard, Spurs: The 6-7 forward finished as the NBA’s ninth-leading scorer at a career-high 25.5 points per game, becoming the first San Antonio player to average 25.0 points since Tim Duncan in the 2001-02 season.  Leonard, the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year in each of the previous two seasons, helped the Spurs (61-21) post the league’s best defensive rating as they registered their third 60-win season in four years.

• Anthony Davis, Pelicans: Davis ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring (career-high 28.0 ppg), seventh in rebounding (career-high 11.8 rpg) and second in blocked shots (2.23 bpg) while appearing in a career-high 75 games.  The 6-11 forward/center set a single-season franchise scoring record with 2,099 points. 

2016-17 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM

Pos. | Player (Team) | 1st team votes | 2nd team votes | 3rd team votes | Total

F | LeBron James (Cleveland) | 99 | 1 | -- | 498

F | Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio) | 96 | 3 | 1 | 490

C | Anthony Davis (New Orleans) | 45 | 34 | 16 | 343

G | James Harden (Houston) | 100 | -- | -- | 500

G | Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City) | 99 | 1 | -- | 498

2016-17 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM

Pos. | Player (Team) | 1st team votes | 2nd team votes | 3rd team votes | Total

F | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) | -- | 81 | 15 | 258

F | Kevin Durant (Golden State) | 3 | 66 | 26 | 239

C | Rudy Gobert (Utah) | 43 | 38 | 10 | 339

G | Stephen Curry (Golden State) | 1 | 93 | 6 | 290

G | Isaiah Thomas (Boston) | -- | 71 | 23 | 236

2016-17 ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM

Pos. | Player (Team) | 1st team votes | 2nd team votes | 3rd team votes | Total

F | Draymond Green (Golden State) | 4 | 21 | 51 | 134

F | Jimmy Butler (Chicago) | -- | 19 | 45 | 102

C | DeAndre Jordan (LA Clippers) | 3 | 7 | 18 | 54

G | John Wall (Washington) | -- | 19 | 68 | 125

G | DeMar DeRozan (Toronto) | -- | 4 | 50 | 62

Other players receiving votes, with point totals (First Team votes in parentheses): Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota, 50 (2); Chris Paul, LA Clippers, 49; Marc Gasol, Memphis, 48 (2); DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans, 42 (2); Paul George, Indiana, 40; Gordon Hayward, Utah, 27; Hassan Whiteside, Miami, 18; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland, 14; Klay Thompson, Golden State, 14; Nikola Jokic, Denver, 12 (1); Damian Lillard, Portland, 12; Paul Millsap, Atlanta, 3; LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio, 1; Blake Griffin, LA Clippers, 1; Al Horford, Boston, 1.

Rockets advance with 105-99 win over Thunder

By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) -- James Harden had 34 points and his supporting cast helped the Houston Rockets overcome a 47-point game by Russell Westbrook to get a 105-99 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

The Thunder head home a year after advancing to the Western Conference finals after Houston took this series 4-1.

The Rockets used a 5-1 run, with all their points coming on free throws, to pull away from the Thunder and make it 98-91. Victor Oladipo threw a pass about 5 feet above Westbrook's head and out of bounds on the next possession and Harden made a layup on the other end with about 3 minutes left.

The Rockets began eating up the clock after that and Oklahoma City missed shot after shot that could have closed the gap.

Houston couldn't add to its lead though and the Thunder cut it to 4 points twice in the final seconds, with the second one coming on a basket by Alex Abrines. But Harden made two free throws both times they got close to secure the win.

After scoring 20 points in the third quarter, Westbrook made just 2 of 11 fourth-quarter shots in a disappointing end to a stellar season where he became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double by scoring an NBA-best 31.6 points a game, with 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists. He also set an NBA record for most triple-doubles with 42 to help the Thunder withstand the loss of All-Star Kevin Durant in free agency.

He had 11 rebounds and nine assists to come just shy of his fourth straight triple-double in this series, but he made just 5 of a career-high 18 3-point attempts.

Lou Williams added 22 points and Patrick Beverley had 15 to help the Rockets get out of the first round for the second time in three seasons in front of a crowd that included Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, rapper Travis Scott and his rumored girlfriend and reality star Kylie Jenner.

The Thunder had a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter and led by 3 after a jump shot by Jerami Grant early in the quarter. The Rockets then used a 10-2 run to take an 86-81 lead with about 9 minutes left. Williams made the last eight points in that stretch, making three free throws to start it and capping it with a 3-pointer from way behind the line.

Houston was up by 6 early in the third quarter before using a 7-2 spurt to make it 61-50 with about 7 minutes left in the quarter. Harden got things going in that span and Beverley capped it with four straight points.

The Thunder started rolling after that, using a 12-3 run, with seven points from Westbrook, to get within 2 with about 5 minutes left in the quarter. Houston's offense went cold in that span with its only points coming on free throws by Harden.

Five straight points by the Thunder a couple of minutes later, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Westbrook, gave the Thunder a 69-68 lead.

Harden made two free throws after that before Westbrook hit two 3-pointers in about 30 seconds to extend Oklahoma City's lead to 77-70.

The Rockets were unhappy with a few calls in the first quarter and team owner Leslie Alexander got up from his courtside seat and walked over to a referee during play late in the quarter apparently to express his displeasure before sitting back down.

Houston led 51-44 at halftime.

TIP-INS

Thunder: Led by as many as 8 points early. ... Oladipo had 10 points and eight rebounds. ... Abrines had 11 points. ... Westbrook received a technical for arguing with Beverley in the fourth.

Rockets: Made just 1 of 13 3-point attempts in the third quarter. ... Williams has scored at least 20 points in three of the last four games. ... Houston made just 6 of 37 3-point attempts overall. ... Beverley received a technical for arguing with Westbrook in the fourth. ... Harden made 16 of 17 free throw attempts.

UP NEXT

Rockets: Will face either Memphis or San Antonio in the second round.

Nene's 28 lead Rockets past Thunder for 3-1 series lead

By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- James Harden's shot was off, and one of the most unlikely players on Houston's roster came to the rescue.

Nene scored 28 points on perfect shooting from the field, and the Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-109 on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

The 6-foot-11 center from Brazil made all 12 of his shots and had 10 rebounds. It was an impressive performance from a reserve who averaged about nine points per game in the regular season.

"He puts the work in," Harden said. "He's a true vet. He's in the weight room. He' doing all the proper things to get his body and his mind right to go out there and compete at a high level every single night. Tonight, it paid off."

Harden finished with 16 points on 5-for-16 shooting, but he had other help, too. Eric Gordon and Lou Williams each scored 18 points, and Trevor Ariza finished with 14.

Houston can close out the series Tuesday at home.

"That's what a team is for," Harden said. "It's not just one guy. I've believed in trusting these guys all year long. We say it every game that it's not going to be just one or two guys that win this game. On different nights, it's going to be different guys that step up. That was the case tonight."

Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook had a triple-double by halftime and finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. The Thunder said Westbrook joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to claim three consecutive playoff triple-doubles.

Steven Adams scored 18 points for Oklahoma City, and Victor Oladipo had 15.

The Thunder again struggled when Westbrook rested in the second half, and Westbrook wasn't interested in explaining why . He took over a question directed at Adams and defended the team.

"Don't split us up," Westbrook said. "Don't try and split us up. Don't try to make us go against each other or make it `Russell and the rest of the guys, Russell against Houston.' I don't want to hear that. We're in this together. We play as a team. That's all that matters."

Westbrook had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at the break. He grabbed the 10th rebound in the final second of the second quarter, and the Thunder led 58-54 at intermission. Meanwhile, Harden made just 2 of 9 shots and scored just six points in the first half.

The Thunder opened the second half with a 10-2 run, but Houston closed to 77-73 at the end of the third quarter.

Houston pulled ahead in the fourth, but Adams made the first of two free throws with 21.7 seconds remaining to cut Oklahoma City's deficit to four. He rebounded his missed second free throw and found Westbrook for a 3-pointer that cut Houston's lead to one point. But the Thunder lost track of Nene on the other end, and he converted a three-point play. Gordon's two free throws with 6.2 seconds remaining made it a four-point game.

STAT LINES

Westbrook continues to average a triple-double for the series - 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11.3 assists. But he is shooting 37.3 percent from the field. He went 10 for 28 on Sunday, including 5 for 17 in the second half.

HACK-A-'DRE

Houston fouled Andre Roberson in the fourth quarter, and he made just 2 of 8 free throws in a 42-second stretch. The Thunder trailed 94-92 when the Rockets started fouling him, and they trailed by five when he shot, and missed, his last attempt.

"It's not great for basketball, but it's a rule, and we'll take advantage of it," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said.

QUOTABLE

Nene on the style of play: "This series is a lot of physicality. It's a healthy physicality. There's no dirty players out there. We stick with it."

TIP-INS

Rockets: G Patrick Beverley was fined $25,000 by the NBA for confronting a fan after Game 3. The league announced the fine about two hours before Game 4 tipped off.

Thunder: Westbrook had just one turnover in the first half. ... Adams went 6 for 6 from the field in the first half.

---

Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP.

Westbrook's triple-double leads Thunder past Rockets 115-113

By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Russell Westbrook figured out that he didn't have to do it all.

Once that happened, the Thunder figured out how to beat the Houston Rockets.

Westbrook scored 32 points in a triple-double and the Thunder held off the Rockets 115-113 on Friday night to cut their deficit to 2-1 in the first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Westbrook scored 51 points in a triple-double on Wednesday, but the Rockets won, and Westbrook was criticized for shooting too much. This time, shots and contributions were distributed more evenly throughout the game. Taj Gibson scored 20 points and Andre Roberson and Victor Oladipo each added 12 for the Thunder, who shot 55 percent from the field.

"I had to do a better job of trusting my teammates for 48 minutes," Westbrook said. "Tonight, those guys made plays throughout the whole game. That's what I'm trying to do."

James Harden scored 44 points for Houston, but he missed a 3-pointer that could have won the game just before time expired.

"We were down two, so I just wanted to get the best shot available, honestly," Harden said. "I didn't try to overthink it or whatnot. I just dribbled up the basketball court and I see the paint kind of close in once I passed halfcourt. I gave him (Roberson) a little jab, and he bit for it, and I just shot the ball. I shot it with confidence. It was a little bit short."

Lou Williams scored 22 points and Ryan Anderson added 18 for the Rockets, who nearly overcame a double-digit, second-half deficit again. Instead, the Thunder will host Game 4 on Sunday in a much better position.

"We did enough offensively," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We just didn't have the will or the want early in the game. It's a little bit of a recurring theme we have. It takes us a while to get going. We'll address it and try to get it better, because we've got to play the whole 48 (minutes) like we did the last 24, and the last two games we have not done that."

Westbrook also had 13 rebounds and 11 assists. It was his second straight triple-double and the seventh playoff triple-double of his career.

Houston closed the gap throughout the final period. Harden was fouled with 8.8 seconds left, and he made two free throws to cut Oklahoma City's lead to 114-113. Westbrook went to the line with 8.4 seconds to play and missed one of the two free throws, giving the Rockets a chance before Harden's final miss.

---

TIP-INS

Rockets: Harden had five assists and four turnovers in the first quarter. He had one assist the rest of the game. ... Houston shot 50 percent in the first half but committed 10 turnovers, which led to 16 points for the Thunder. ... G Patrick Beverley finished with one point on 0-for-6 shooting and fouled out.

Thunder: Oklahoma City opened the game with an 11-2 lead. ... Gibson was called for a technical foul with 1:22 left in the first half. ... G Semaj Christon, who played 21 minutes combined in the first two games, was inactive. ... Oladipo shot 5 for 26 in the first two games combined, but he shot 5 for 8 on Friday.

STAT LINES

Westbrook is averaging a triple-double for the series with 35 points, 11.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. The Thunder are 5-2 in his career when he gets a playoff triple-double.

WELCOME BACK, NORRIS

Backup Thunder point guard Norris Cole provided some key minutes to help Westbrook. After not playing in Game 2, he scored five points on 3-for-5 shooting in 9:28 and did not commit a turnover.

QUOTABLE

Westbrook, on his so-called supporting cast: "We're all one team. I don't have a cast, I don't have other guys. We're all in this together and my teammates have been doing a great job all season long."

UP NEXT

Game 4 will be played Sunday afternoon in Oklahoma City.

NBA fines Westbrook $15,000 for postgame comments

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The NBA has fined Thunder star Russell Westbrook $15,000 for using inappropriate language during a postgame media interview.

Westbrook scored 51 points Wednesday in the highest-scoring triple-double in playoff history. He set a franchise playoff scoring record and added 13 assists and 10 rebounds, but the Thunder lost 115-111 to Houston and are down 2-0 in the first-round playoff series.

Westbrook was not in the mood to talk about his statistics after the game.

"I don't give a (expletive) about the line," he said. "We lost."

Game 3 is Friday night in Oklahoma City.

Rockets overcome Westbrook's 51, take 2-0 lead over Thunder

By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) -- Russell Westbrook put up gaudy numbers on Wednesday night.

The Houston Rockets got a more modest performance from James Harden, but a collective scoring effort helped them rally for a 115-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round Western Conference playoff series.

"It wasn't pretty," Harden said. "We didn't make a lot of shots. We gave them the early lead and we had to fight our way back and we did. We didn't give up. We continued to fight and grind and figure out a way to win."

Harden scored 35 points and the Rockets overcame 51 points from Westbrook in the highest-scoring triple-double in playoff history. Westbrook set a franchise playoff scoring record and added 13 assists and 10 rebounds. It was the sixth career playoff triple-double for Westbrook, who had an NBA-record 42 in the regular season.

But he shot just 4 for 18 in the fourth quarter and the Rockets clawed back from a double-digit deficit.

He was not in the mood to talk about his statistics after the game.

"I don't give a (expletive) about the line," he said before glaring at reporters. "We lost."

Thunder coach Billy Donovan thought Westbrook might have gotten tired late after playing the entire fourth quarter, but Westbrook brushed off that notion.

"Nah, I was all right," he said.

Game 3 is Friday night in Oklahoma City.

The game was tied before Houston scored 10 straight points with 3-pointers from Harden, Patrick Beverley and Eric Gordon to make it 114-104 with 1:22 remaining.

"Down the stretch you've just got to be ready," Gordon said. "James draws a lot of attention. So I was ready for that shot. It was great timing to knock down a shot like that."

Westbrook had four straight points to start a 7-1 run after that, but the Thunder wouldn't get any closer.

This was a much different game than the series opener, when Houston routed the Thunder 118-87. On Wednesday night, Houston trailed by as many as 15 and didn't take a lead until the fourth quarter.

The Rockets benefited from a balanced scoring attack, with Lou Williams adding 21, Gordon scoring 22 off the bench and Game 1 star Beverley chipping in 15.

Houston used a big run early in the fourth quarter to go on top for the first time in the game with about eight minutes remaining. Harden's 3 about three minutes later made it 104-100.

Andre Roberson added a tip-in layup for the Thunder before two free throws by Westbrook tied it at 104-all with about 3 minutes left.

The Thunder led by seven with about nine minutes left in the third quarter before Westbrook had four quick points to extend the lead to 79-68. Houston scored the next six points, but Oklahoma City answered with seven points in a row after that, with five from Westbrook, to extend the lead to 86-74 with about 3 minutes left in the quarter.

The Thunder led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but Houston had cut the lead to 68-62 at halftime.

TIP-INS

Thunder: Westbrook was just two rebounds shy of a triple-double by halftime with 22 points and 10 assists. ... Roberson was Oklahoma City's second-leading scorer with 12 points. ... Oklahoma City made just 7 of 30 3-pointers.

Rockets: Houston has won five in a row over Oklahoma City including regular-season games. ... Capela had 10 rebounds. .. Harden made 18 of 20 free throws.

WILLIAMS OFF THE BENCH

Wednesday was the 31st time this season that Williams has scored 20 or more points off the bench this season. He is one of just four players since 1993-94 to score at least 20 points off the bench at least 30 times in a season.

"We looked like we needed some energy, looked like we needed a spark and I think in the first and second half (the second unit) was able to do it," he said.

THEY SAID IT

Thunder center Steve Adams on what went wrong late: "We just weren't taking the greatest of shots, and they really capitalized on that. It was a combination of things and our mental stamina needs to be a little better."

UP NEXT

The series moves to Oklahoma City for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.

Harden has 37 points; Rockets rout Thunder, Westbrook 118-87

By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) – Although James Harden is Houston's undisputed star, he can't top Russell Westbrook entirely on his own.

As is so often the case, Patrick Beverley was there for support Sunday night.

Harden scored 37 points to outshine Westbrook, and the Rockets pulled away in the third quarter and coasted to a 118-87 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Harden had nine assists and seven rebounds, and Beverley, who had the unenviable task of guarding Westbrook, had a playoff career-best 21 points along with 10 rebounds.

Beverley's performance was nothing new to Harden, who has had a front row seat to his work for years.

"That's the reason we're in the position we're in," Harden said. "He brings it every game. Whether his shot is falling or not, he brings that intensity, that resolve. He was just Pat tonight."

The best-of-seven Western Conference series continues Wednesday night in Houston.

The third-seeded Rockets were up by 20 when Harden came off the bench with about seven minutes remaining. He went right to work - making two 3-pointers to power a 10-0 run and push the lead to 110-80 with 4 1/2 minutes left. Harden, who along with Westbrook is a front-runner for MVP, went to the bench, and both teams cleared their benches soon after that.

Westbrook had 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but made just 6 of 23 shots and had nine turnovers for the sixth-seeded Thunder.

"We've got to do a better job starting with myself - got to do a better job of taking care of the basketball and making some shots," Westbrook said.

Beverley refused to take credit for slowing Westbrook down.

"It was a team effort in just trying to show him a lot of bodies," he said. "He's one of the most explosive guards in this league, so we were just trying to make it tough on him."

The Thunder trailed by 15 entering the fourth quarter, and six straight points by the Rockets extended the lead to 100-78 with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining. Lou Williams scored the first four points in that span, and Beverley found Clint Capela on an alley-oop dunk.

The Rockets scored the first five points of the second half to push their lead to 10 early in the third quarter. After a timeout, Oklahoma City scored the next eight points with 3s from Westbrook and Andre Roberson to cut it to 64-62 with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.

Houston scored the next nine points, capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Beverley to make it 73-64 midway through the period.

Beverley went to the bench soon after that to a huge ovation and a high five from Houston Texans star J.J. Watt, who watched the game from a courtside seat.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan raved about Beverley.

"He played a very, very good game," Donavan said. "I thought he impacted the game way, way more with his energy, his effort, his hustle, his loose balls, his offensive rebounding, keeping balls alive. That's where he really did a great job."

Westbrook ended a scoring drought of almost 3 1/2 minutes for the Thunder with a layup, but Houston used an 8-2 spurt - highlighted by a 3 from Eric Gordon - to push the lead to 81-68 with just more than three minutes remaining in the third.

Harden made a pair of free throws to cap the third quarter and leave Houston up 89-74 entering the fourth.

For Houston coach Mike D'Antoni, it's the first postseason win since April 27, 2008, with Phoenix. D'Antoni's teams were swept in the first round in his last two trips to the playoffs in 2011 with the Knicks and 2013 with the Lakers.

Houston's victory comes after the team went 3-1 in the regular season against the Thunder.

The Rockets led 59-54 at halftime.

TIP-INS

Thunder: Roberson added 18 points with seven rebounds. ... Oklahoma City, which led the NBA in rebounding in the regular season, was outrebounded 56-41. ... Jerami Grant had 10 points.

Rockets: Capela missed a few minutes in the second quarter to receive three stitches in his lip. He had 14 points and seven rebounds. ... Nene had 15 points. ... Houston had 31 second-chance points to just four by the Thunder.

THEY SAID IT

Thunder center Steven Adams on Oklahoma City's performance: "We were just trash on the reads, on the pick-and-rolls. We were just absolutely garbage. We just have to go back to the drawing board and figure it out before Game 2."

PUTTING THE WIN IN PERSPECTIVE

D'Antoni wants to make sure that his team realizes it still has a lot of work to do despite its big win.

"All we did is defend our home court, and that's what we're supposed to do," he said. "It's nice to play well and get the win because you have to, but this is just one little step ... in the big scheme of things. I'm sure they'll bounce back, and we've got to be ready to go."

UP NEXT

Oklahoma City will remain in Houston for two days of practice before Game 2 on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.

Oladipo lifts Russ-less Thunder over Wolves, 100-98

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) With Russell Westbrook sitting out for the first time this season, Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said he just wanted to see his young role players play well without the center of the Thunder universe on the floor.

Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and the rest of the Russ-less Thunder did him one better.

Oladipo scored 20 points and hit a jumper with 6.3 seconds to play to lift the Thunder to a 100-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

"Because he was out tonight I was just trying to take a little bit of that role, that leadership role and lead by example and lead with my mouth as well," Oladipo said. "It was good. It was a good experience for everybody, including myself."

Oladipo also had nine rebounds and six assists, and the Thunder outrebounded Minnesota 54-35. Starters Taj Gibson and Andre Roberson also sat out as the Thunder prepare for a first-round series against Houston. Sabonis added 19 points and nine rebounds.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins overcame a 1-for-11 start to finish with 18 points for the Minnesota. But the Timberwolves again struggled to get stops down the stretch and Wiggins missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as they lost their fifth straight game.

"Whatever your circumstances are, you've got to be ready to go," Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. "That's the way it is. So we had a long road trip, we come home and we've got to be ready."

After consulting with Donovan and the team's medical staff, Westbrook made the decision to rest for the first time this season. He was one of just six players in the league to have started every game. But after a break-neck year in which he broke Oscar Robertson's record for most triple-doubles in a season and helped the Thunder turn the page after Kevin Durant left for Golden State, the most relentless player in the league finally took a night off.

Fellow starters Gibson and Roberson also took the night off, but the rest of the team took it to the Wolves in the first half. A 19-2 run in the first quarter helped OKC build a 22-point lead.

After unveiling a new logo at halftime, Minnesota outscored Oklahoma City 29-15 in the third quarter to jump back in front.

"We had the lead," Thibodeau said. "All we had to do was get stops."

Oladipo's 3-pointer with 2:40 to go gave the Thunder a 97-93 lead, but Minnesota responded with five straight points, including Gorgui Dieng's corner jumper to go up 98-97 with 44 seconds to play. But Oladipo responded with his 21-footer, and Westbrook was the first one off the bench to greet him as the Thunder celebrated a confidence-building win.

"Never mind the outcome, but can we do the things that we know what we're going to need to do once the playoffs do start?" Donovan said. "Because if we can't do them now, we can't expect them to do it in the playoffs."

TIP-INS

Thunder: Donovan said he would have further discussion with Westbrook before deciding if he will play in the regular-season finale at home on Wednesday against Denver. ... The Thunder also were playing without Doug McDermott (left knee soreness). ... Norris Cole had 12 points off the bench.

Timberwolves: Towns surpassed Kevin Love in the first quarter to set a franchise record for points in a season. ... The Wolves announced a crowd of 19,356, the first sellout of a home finale since 1998. ... Dieng had 19 points and eight rebounds.

ABRINES RETURNS

Thunder sharpshooter Alex Abrines missed the previous three games with a sprained left knee, but was sharp in his return on Tuesday night. He hit his first two 3s and finished with six points in 16 minutes.

Abrines said it was important for him to get a couple of games under his belt before the playoffs start.

"I need some rhythm," he said before the game.

UP NEXT

Thunder: Oklahoma City heads back home for one final regular-season game against Denver on Wednesday night.

Timberwolves: Minnesota flies to Houston to finish its season on Wednesday night.