Magnificent Westbrook hits 57 as Thunder edge Orlando
Basketball
By
AFP
| Mar 30, 2017
Russell Westbrook conjured a spectacular 57-point triple double to edge closer to history as the Oklahoma City Thunder scored a thrilling overtime victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Westbrook finished with 57 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists as the Thunder rolled to a 114-106 win in overtime at Orlando's Amway Center.
It was Westbrook's fourth consecutive triple-double and his 38th of an incredible season.
The 28-year-old is now just three shy of equalling Oscar Robertson's longstanding NBA record for triple-doubles in a single season.
The win helped the Thunder improve to 43-31 while the Magic are now at 27-48 after a second consecutive defeat.
Evan Fournier led scoring for the Magic with 24 points while Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and 16 rebounds. Terrence Ross added 23 points and made five of 11 3-point attempts. Bismack Biyombo scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon had 13 points.
Westbrook meanwhile received offensive back-up from Enes Kanter with 17 and Victor Oladipo, who weighed in with 13 points.
The highlight of Westbrook's masterclass was a devastating late burst of scoring which saw him net 19 points in the final six minutes of regulation time, draining a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
Oladipo then sank a 3-pointer early in overtime for a 107-105 lead and the Thunder held on to the lead to claim a pulsating win.