Westbrook's triple-double leads Thunder past Hawks, 102-99
Westbrook scored 32 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 12 assists, extending his streak of triple-doubles to six games as the Thunder held off the Atlanta Hawks 102-99 on Monday night.
Westbrook has sparked a six-game winning streak by the Thunder and reached double figures in all three categories in half of their 22 games.
Scooping up a loose ball after a turnover by the Hawks, Westbrook led a 2-on-1 that ended with a pass to Victor Oladipo for a layup that gave the Thunder a 69-59 lead.
Westbrook knocked down five of seven, three of them beyond the arc, and finished with 16 points in the period as the Thunder stretched a one-point halftime lead to 83-69 heading to the fourth.
Coach Mike Budenholzer decided to shake things up, sending Kyle Korver to the bench and putting Thabo Sefolosha in the starting lineup.
The Hawks also were bolstered by the return of Paul Millsap, who had missed three straight games with a sore hip.
Westbrook and the Thunder clamped down defensively off the inbounds play, and Tim Hardaway Jr.'s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer failed to hit the rim.
During the second quarter, the 6-foot-4 Thunder guard drove the baseline and slammed one over Atlanta's 6-11 center, rocking the rim and drawing gasps from the crowd.
During his pregame chat with the media, the Oklahoma City coach recounted a visit to Howard and his father at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.