Early in the third quarter of Friday's game, Russell Westbrook recorded his 28th triple-double of the season as he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to victory, 110-93, over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Westbrook finished with 17 points, 19 rebounds and 17 assists and three steals in yet another all-around performance from the Long Beach native. Westbrook was one of five Thunder players to score in double-figures on the night, and the fact that no Oklahoma City player finished with 20 points hinted at the balanced scoring for the home team.
Steven Adams finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Andre Roberson made eight of his nine field goal attempts to score 19 points to record a new career-high.
For the Lakers, Earvin "Magic" Johnson attended his first game since accepting the position of President of Basketball Operations earlier in the week. Johnson witnessed D'Angelo Russell finish with 29 points to go along with six assists, four rebounds and four steals in the loss.
Julius Randle finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds to nab a double-double in the defeat.
While the scoreboard may not have been friendly to the visitors, Ivica Zubac and Larry Nance Jr. displayed promising defensive activity at times. Both backup big men finished with three blocks on the night, and Nance collected a couple steals, too.
With Lou Williams no longer with the team, LA suited up new arrival Corey Brewer. Brewer featured for four minutes and converted a slam dunk for his first points as a Lakers' player.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
Finally, Brandon Ingram displayed a bit more aggression in attacking the basket, and Johnson told Spectrum Sportsnet during an in-game interview that he had advised the 19-year-old to not shy away from the contact. Ingram finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in the loss.
"Obviously, it sucks to lose, but there's some good building going on out there," Lakers coach Luke Walton told Spectrum Sportsnet cameras after the game.
Next, the Lakers will host the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night at Staples Center.
