Sunday afternoon in the NBA saw the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Charlotte Hornets at home at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Hornets came into this one ready to play and to continue to fight for their playoff chances. They've won two games in a row before coming to Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon. It was a crowded Chesapeake Energy Arena with 18 thousand fans ready to see their superstar Russell Westbrook perform again.
Kemba Walker red hot
The Hornets started off the game well. They scored 31 points in the opening 12 minutes of the game, leading 31-22.
They were up five points at halftime (59-54) and by the end of the third quarter, they pretty much sealed the deal in this one, leading by 14 (84-70). The final score was 113-101 for the away team. It was a wire to wire victory for Charlotte, considering they never trailed after midway in the first quarter when it was 18-17 in favor of OKC.
Kemba Walker led the way for the visitors. He poured in 29 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists. He was able to connect on six of his 12 attempted three-pointers. Frank Kaminsky added 18, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 16 points for Charlotte. The Hornets are now in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Miami Heat in the loss column for the eighth spot.
For the home team, Russell Westbrook scored 40, and Victor Oladipo finished the game with 19 points.
Westbrook continues to make history
OKC's point guard came into this game with 4 straight 30-point triple-doubles. He also had 39 triple-doubles this season, before Sunday's matchup. The Charlotte Hornets were one of only two teams against whom Westbrook didn't record a triple-double in his career, but that changed.
He finished the game with 40 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. This was his fifth straight 30-point triple-double, the longest such streak in NBA history. It was also his seventh 40-point triple-double this season. With six games remaining in the regular season, he now needs only one more triple-double to tie Oscar Robertson's single season record of 41.
"We just got to take care of the ball better, starting with myself." said Westbrook after the game.
With Sunday's 40 points, Westbrook reached and passed the 15,000-point scoring mark. He is third all-time in points scored in Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle Supersonics history. Gary Payton is first with 18,207 points and Kevin Durant is second with 17,566.
