The Oklahoma City Thunder (5-3) routed the Washington Wizards (3-4) 125-101 on Tuesday thanks to a Westbrook triple-double.
In the Kevin Durant homecoming game, the Thunder shut down the Wizards despite an injury to Durant. The Washington native left at halftime with a hamstring injury and failed to return for the second half. Washington committed just seven turnovers in the loss, but allowed Oklahoma City to out-rebound and out-assist them in the loss. The Thunder also shot 51 percent from the field in theie victory.
The Thunder grabbed a 14-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They were led by another triple-double from Russell Westbrook, as he posted 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the victory. Durant finished the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds before leaving in just 17 minutes of play. Dion Waiters was the big game-changer off the bench though, as he dropped 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The Thunder will take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a big mismatch on Friday in their next game.
Bradley Beal missed this game with a shoulder injury and it clearly hurt the Wizards here in a blowout loss. The team shot below 40 percent from the field and below 21 percent from three-point range. Washington needed a huge game from John Wall in the absence of Beal and he likely played his worst game of the season, tallying just nine points, five assists and two rebounds. This is not the way Washington wanted to come out in the Durant homecoming game and they should be in a feisty mood for their next matchup against the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
