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Pelicans lose Davis but cool off red-hot Thunder
LOS ANGELES, Feb 15, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Julius Randle finished with 33 points
and 11 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans overcame another triple double
from Russell Westbrook to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 131-122 on Thursday.
The victory could prove costly for the Pelicans as all-star Anthony Davis
left the game with a shoulder injury at the end of the first half.
The disgruntled Davis, who has requested a trade, did not return and it
was unknown whether the injury would keep him out of the NBA all-star game on
Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Davis finished with 14 points in 15
minutes of playing time.
Randle also added three clutch baskets in the final minute and teammate
Jrue Holiday scored 32 points for the Pelicans, who have lost eight of their
last 12 games as the league now heads into the annual mid-season all-star
break.
“Man, we had to be up for this one, the last one before the break,” said
Holiday. “We came out and fought hard against a great team with Paul George
and Russell Westbrook.”
Westbrook continued his eye-popping performances, extending his league
record with an 11th straight triple-double as he finished with 44 points, 14
rebounds and 11 assists.
It was the 12th time in Westbrook’s career in which he scored at least 40
points in a triple-double. That puts him in a tie for second place with
Houston’s James Harden for the most 40-point triple-doubles in NBA history.
However, Westbrook missed badly on a low percentage three point attempt
with Oklahoma City behind by five points late in Thursday’s game. The
Pelicans took possession of the ball and cruised from there.
George added 28 points, and Nerlens Noel tallied 22 for the Thunder, who
had won four straight and 11 of 12.
E’Twaun Moore scored 15 points and Jahlil Okafor had 12 as New Orleans
bounced back from having its lowest point totals of the season in its two
most recent games — a 99-90 loss at Memphis on Saturday and a 118-88 blowout
loss to Orlando on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, Dennis Smith scored 19 points as the hapless New York Knicks
ended their 18-game losing streak with a 106-91 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
“It has been a long time since we got a win. We had to lock down,” said
Smith.
The streak set a franchise record for consecutive loses in a season and
this was their first win since January 4 when they beat the struggling Los
Angeles Lakers. Also, the Orlando Magic snapped a 13-game losing streak to
Charlotte by beating the Hornets 127-89 behind 21 points from Terrence Ross.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1140 hrs