OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Russell Westbrook had 51 points and a triple-double and scored the winning points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 113-110 overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
According to the Thunder, it was the first 50-point triple-double since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had one in 1975.
Westbrook finished with 13 rebounds and 10 assists and took a career-high 44 shots.
Westbrook made a layup to put the Thunder up a point with 7.6 seconds remaining. Phoenix’s Devin Booker missed a layup and Westbrook was fouled. Westbrook scored his 50th and 51st points at the free-throw line with 3.5 seconds remaining. Booker missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
Irving’s dagger came from the top of the key and it was none other than LeBron James who fed him the ball.
WARRIORS 122, PELICANS 114
Kevin Durant scored 30 points, Klay Thompson added 28 and Golden State bounced back emphatically from a surprising season-opening loss.
After scoring only six points on five shot attempts in the first half, Stephen Curry asserted himself more with an array of inside and deep shots to finish with 23 points, including a momentum-swinging 8-0 run by himself in the third quarter. Durant also had 17 rebounds.
CAVALIERS 94, RAPTORS 91
Kyrie Irving had 26 points and LeBron James scored 21, helping Cleveland hold off DeMar DeRozan and Toronto.
HORNETS 97, HEAT 91
Kemba Walker scored 24 points to lead six players in double figures as Charlotte erased a 19-point deficit in the second half.
ROCKETS 106, MAVERICKS 98
Trevor Ariza scored 27 points and James Harden had 26 as Houston beat Dallas with Dirk Nowitzki missing from the Mavericks’ home opener.
Nowitzki didn’t play for just the second time in 19 home openers with Dallas. The 38-year-old had a stomach ailment bad enough that coach Rick Carlisle wasn’t sure he would make the trip to Houston for the Rockets’ home opener Sunday.
JAZZ 96, LAKERS 89
George Hill scored 23 points and Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 13 rebounds to help Utah win its home opener.
NETS 103, PACERS 94
Jeremy Lin had 21 points and just missed a triple-double in his Brooklyn home debut while Brook Lopez scored 25 as the Nets got their first victory.
Lin finished with nine rebounds and nine assists, drawing some delirious cheers the way he briefly did during his run of Linsanity last time he played in New York, with the Knicks in 2012.
PISTONS 108, MAGIC 82
Andre Drummond had 12 points and 20 rebounds, helping Detroit rout Orlando in what might have been the final home opener for the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Pistons owner Tom Gores confirmed before the game the team was close to a deal to move downtown next season.