Russell Westbrook, Thunder keep streak alive in win over Kings

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AP Published 5:34 p.m. ET March 18, 2017 | Updated 7:14 p.m. ET March 18, 2017

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) posts up against Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena.(Photo: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Russell Westbrook had 28 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists to help the Oklahoma City Thunder roll past the Sacramento Kings 110-94 on Saturday.

The Thunder won their fifth straight the longest current streak in the NBA and moved into a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference, pending the result of the Los Angeles Clippers" game against Cleveland later Saturday.

Westbrook had a triple-double in each of the first four games of the streak to raise his season total to 34. He needs seven more in Oklahoma City"s final 13 games to tie Oscar Robertson for the NBA single-season record, set in the 1961-62 season.

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Georgios Papagiannis had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Sacramento, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.

A 7-0 run, capped by a basket by Buddy Hield, gave Sacramento its only lead at 10-9 less than six minutes into the game. Steven Adams" dunk started an 11-0 spurt by the Thunder and the Kings came no closer than eight points the rest of the game.

The Thunder pushed its lead to 22 points in the second quarter and led 63-41 at halftime after last-minute 3-pointers by Victor Oladipo and Westbrook.

Sacramento came no closer than 14 points in the second half, on a put-back dunk by Skal Labissiere that made it 87-73 with 9:18 left. westbrook re-entered the game, converted a three-point play, then assisted on a basket by Oladipo and a 3-pointer by Doug McDermott, pushing the Thunder"s lead to 95-75.

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Kings: Tyreke Evans didn"t suit up due to what the team called a sore left ankle and Aaron Afflalo and Ben McLemore also skipped the game for personal reasons, leaving the Kings with only 11 players. ... Labissiere celebrated his 21st birthday by picking up three fouls in his first four minutes and scoring 13 points. His 32-point, 11-rebound outing on Wednesday in a win at Phoenix made him the first Kings rookie with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game since Lionel Simmons on April 9, 1991, against Dallas. ... Hield, who led Oklahoma to last year"s Final Four, received a loud ovation during pregame introductions.

Thunder: Westbrook has 71 career triple-doubles and needs seven more to tie Wilt Chamberlain for fourth on the NBA all-time list. ... The Thunder are the sixth Western Conference team to win 40 games this season. ... Adams recorded his 13th double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds. ... McDermott went 8 for 9 from the field, including 4 for 5 from 3-point range, and scored 21 points

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Kings: Finish a difficult road back-to-back at San Antonio on Sunday.

Thunder: Host Golden State missing the injured Kevin Durant on Monday.

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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/03/18/westbrook-leads-thunder-past-kings-without-triple-double/99357802/