Kevin Durant left at halftime with a strained left hamstring and Russell Westbrook took over, compiling a triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Washington Wizards, 125-101, on Tuesday night.
Durant, second in scoring entering the night, had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. With less than a minute remaining in the second quarter, Durant was fouled by Kris Humphries on a drive to the basket and then limped a bit, clutching at the back of his left leg.
He made both free throws and stayed in the game until halftime.
Westbrook had 10 points, five assists and three rebounds in the third quarter, then sat out the fourth.
Dion Waiters scored 25 points and Serge Ibaka added 23 for the Thunder (5-3), who had lost three of their past four games.
Marcin Gortat and Ramon Sessions led the Wizards (3-4) with 15 points each, and John Wall had only nine points and five assists as Washington’s losing streak reached three games. The Wizards were without their leading scorer, shooting guard Bradley Beal, because of a sore left shoulder, and reserve forward Nene sat out with back spasms.
Westbrook dominated for stretches of the third quarter, when Oklahoma City used an early 16-8 run without Durant to go ahead, 84-58.
On consecutive possessions in that period, Westbrook threw down a soaring, one-handed dunk, then moments later hit a 3-pointer and wagged three fingers before pounding his chest.
Durant can become a free agent after this season, and the Wizards are among many teams expected to try to sign him. He was born in Washington and went to high school at times in nearby Rockville, Maryland.
Early on, he was the center of attention, getting booed even when simply dribbling the ball up court. He also heard jeers after each of his first two baskets, both dunks. By the time Durant sank a pair of 3-pointers later in the first quarter, there was polite, and maybe even appreciative, applause.
The home team wasn’t giving the locals much to cheer about, despite going the entire first quarter without a single turnover after averaging 25 turnovers in their previous two games.
The Wizards finished the half with only two turnovers, yet were down, 68-50.
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