Feb 26, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) battle for the ball during the second quarter at US Airways Center. Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
PHOENIX — Guard Eric Bledsoe won a battle of elite point guards with 28 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, outdueling Russell Westbrook and giving the Phoenix Suns a 117-113 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
Westbrook recorded his league-leading fourth triple-double of the season with 39 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, but needed 38 shots — the most shots by any player in the NBA this season — to get there. Westbrook put up a fifth straight 20-point, 10-assist game, but missed a chance to do it in five straight wins for the first time in the NBA since Magic Johnson in 1987.
Westbrook was 2-for-13 in the first half but scored 31 points in the second half and the Thunder had their chances for an eighth straight victory.
Forward Markieff Morris had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, who won for the second time in two nights and moved within 1 1/2 games of the Thunder for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The Suns had been 0-4 in overtime and 2-10 in games decided by four points or less this season.
The Suns led 115-111 in overtime before Westbook scored with 33 seconds left to pull the Thunder within two points. He also had a chance to tie, but missed an open reverse layup — after stepping on Morris’ foot and turning his right ankle on the drive — with six seconds left. Forward P.J. Tucker put the game away for Phoenix with two free throws with three-tenths of a second left.
Oklahoma City trailed by 14 in the second quarter, led by seven in the third and trailed 100-90 with 5:57 left, the Thunder reeled off a 16-6 run and tied the game on a Serge Ibaka layup with 33 seconds left — setting the stage for a run of big shot.
Morris put the Suns up 109-106 with a three-point play, but Westbrook matched it with a three-point play off a driving layup with 13.4 seconds left to even the game again. Morris couldn’t get off a shot on the Suns final play and the teams went to overtime.
The Suns were in control early, holding Oklahoma City to a season-low 15 points the first quarter.
The Thunder had two field goals in the first 7:45 and had five in 23 attempts, falling behind 9-0 and eventually by as many as 14. Westbrook, who came into the game averaging 27 points and 11.8 assists in the last four games, missed all eight of his first quarter shots. Westbrook and Ibaka were a combined 0-for-11.
Morris had nine points and Knight added six for the Suns, but they missed 13 of 23 shots in the quarter themselves and didn’t capitalize on an opportunity to blow the game open.
Westbrook continued to struggle in the second quarter and Phoenix pushed its lead to 14 at 43-29 on a putback by P.J. Tucker with 4:34 left.
But the Thunder ended the half with an offensive surge, cutting an 13-point Phoenix lead with three minutes left to 53-48 on two free throws by Kanter with five-tenths of a second left.
NOTES: Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said the national explosion of G Russell Westbrook this season is just a continuation of what he’s seen for seven years. “It’s not new to me. He’s getting a lot of great publicity now, but he’s led us in a lot of key areas,” Brooks said. … Suns G Brandon Knight is averaging 17.3 points and 5.0 assists in his first three games with Phoenix. … The Thunder came in averaging 114 points and allowing 98.4 points over the seven-game winning streak. … Suns F P.J. Tucker has scored in double figures in five straight games, equaling a career high.
