OKLAHOMA CITY — Center Enes Kanter scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 127-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
It was the sixth straight double-double for Kanter.
The win was the fourth in a row and sixth in the last seven games for the Thunder (41-30). They now lead the Phoenix Suns by three games and the New Orleans Pelicans by 3 1/2 for eighth place in the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers (18-51) dropped their fifth game in their last six outings as they try to stay ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves for the worst record in the West.
Guard Russell Westbrook didn’t need to post another triple-double for the Thunder. Instead he racked up 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting to go along with 11 assists and only two turnovers. Guard Dion Waiters added 23 points.
Guard Jordan Clarkston paced the Lakers with 30 points and seven assists. Guard Jeremy Lin collected 19 points while Forward Ryan Kelly scored 16 points.
Kanter ravaged the Lakers frontline to start the night. He posted seven points and six rebounds before the first timeout was called. He ended the first quarter with 15 points and 10 boards to help stake the Thunder to a 10-point lead.
The Los Angeles offense wasn’t the problem in the first half. Lin, Kelly and Clarkson were able to get their shots whenever they wanted.
However, Los Angeles could not stop Oklahoma City in any facet of the game. From fast breaks to halfcourt offense, the Thunder took apart the Lakers defense and led 68-53 at halftime.
Led by Clarkson, Los Angeles cut the Thunder lead to seven points in the third quarter.
But the Thunder responded with a 17-4 run to push their lead to 20. Oklahoma City rested most of its starters in the fourth quarter.
NOTES: The NBA announced Monday that Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook has nine triple-doubles instead of 10 after he was incorrectly given credit for one rebound Sunday during the Thunder’s victory over Miami. That dropped him to nine boards, 12 points and 17 assists. … Los Angeles Lakers G Steve Nash officially retired Tuesday in Los Angeles at the team’s practice facility. “The one thing I want to say today is a huge, heartfelt thank you to the Buss family and the entire Lakers organization,” Nash said. “It was a lot of disappointment not to win a championship in my career. At the same time, I definitely left it all out there. I simply want people to remember me as a competitor and a great teammate. That’s it. Those are the two most important things.” … Thunder G Andre Roberson sprained his left ankle Sunday and will miss the next two to three weeks, coach Scott Brooks said. Oklahoma City has four players on the injured list with 11 games left in the regular season. The Thunder had been riding a three-game streak of losing at least one player to injury. … Lakers coach Byron Scott missed his first game after the death of his mother Sunday. He’ll also miss Wednesday’s game at Minnesota before joining the team in Toronto on Friday. Assistant coach Paul Pressey took his spot on the bench.