Aggressive Hornets sting Westbrook’s Thunder

Charlotte Hornets’ Nicolas Batum, right, drives against Oklahoma City Thunder’s Victor Oladipo, left, in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. The Hornets won 123-112. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

The Charlotte Hornets withstood a 33-point performance from prolific Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook on Wednesday to snap an 11-game losing streak against the Thunder.

French guard Nicolas Batum scored 28 points for the Hornets in the 123-112 triumph. His driving layup and three-point shot keyed a 9-0 scoring run that took the Hornets’ lead from 105-104 to 114-104 with 1:19 to play.

The Thunder wouldn’t get the gap below six the rest of the way, missing a chance to join the Utah Jazz atop the Northwest Division.

“We were aggressive,” Batum said after the Hornets snapped a two-game losing streak.

“We tried to be aggressive on offense because we know they have some bigs inside. We made plays, especially on offense.”

The Thunder were frustrated by the officiating most of the night. The Hornets connected on 40 of 49 free-throw attempts while the Thunder made 19 of their 23 attempts from the foul line.

Charlotte coach Steve Clifford praised his team for their determination in getting to the basket and drawing contact.

“We drive the ball hard,” Clifford said. “We’ve been getting to the line pretty much all year. We’re top six in free-throw attempts, it’s one of our biggest strengths. We’re number one in not fouling, and we’ve been getting to the line.

“Driving the ball, getting the ball going into the paint. Obviously, that was the biggest factor in the game.”

Westbrook, who has 16 triple-doubles already this season, added 15 rebounds and eight assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

Crazy tech

Although his 33 points were a game-high he had his struggles, missing 10 of his first 12 shots from the field. He connected on 10 of 31 field goal attempts, just two of 12 from three-point range, and was whistled for a technical foul in the first quarter.

With 3:13 left in the quarter and the score tied 16-16, the Thunder called a timeout and Westbrook threw the ball to referee Tre Maddox as he walked to the bench.

Maddox wasn’t looking and the ball hit him in the head, prompting referee Sean Corbin to issue the technical, irking Thunder players and coaches.

“I called his name, he turned right at me and then he looked away,” Westbrook said. “I don’t know what to tell you, I really don’t. I would never, ever disrespect the game in that way, throw the ball at a referee.

“I’ve never done it before. That’s just not even heard of in our game today. If you do that you get kicked out of the game,” Westbrook said. “That’s not allowed and I would never do such a thing. To get a tech is crazy to me.”

Kemba Walker added 20 points and nine assists for Charlotte. Frank Kaminsky scored all of his 17 points in the first half. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did a solid job defending Westbrook, and also scored 14 points with 11 rebounds.

“You know, we tried to contain Westbrook,” Batum said. “It’s not easy but MKG (Kidd-Gilchrist) did a great job on him tonight. He still got his numbers but MKG did a great job on him and we made plays at the end.”