Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook looks to the Los Angeles Lakers bench following a basket during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, March 24, 2015. Oklahoma City won 127-117. AP
OKLAHOMA CITY, United States – NBA scoring leader Russell Westbrook had 27 points and 11 assists while Enes Kanter added 25 points and 16 rebounds Tuesday to lead Oklahoma City over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-117.
The Thunder’s fourth win in a row and ninth in 12 games improved the club to 41-20, solidifying Oklahoma City’s hold on the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference.
Dion Waiters added 23 points while New Zealand’s Steven Adams added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder.
What looked at the start of the season to be a classic matchup between Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant and Oklahoma City’s star Kevin Durant, last year’s NBA Most Valuable Player, was instead a matchup that featured neither due to injuries.
Jordan Clarkson scored a game-high 30 points for the Lakers while Jeremy Lin added 19 and Ryan Kelly had 16 points.
At 18-51, the Lakers have the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
Lakers coach Byron Scott was not with the team after the death of his mother. Assistant coach Paul Pressey served as acting coach and inserted Lin into the starting lineup after 25 games coming off the bench for the Lakers.