NBA: Westbrook wizardry leaves Washington spellbound

Russell Westbrook (#0) of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio.  Kirk Irwin/Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Russell Westbrook exploded for 46 points on Thursday as the Oklahoma City Thunder brought up a sixth consecutive victory in a 121-112 win over the Washington Wizards.

Triple-double king Westbrook produced a devastating shooting performance with 19 of 29 attempts, while contributing six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

With Westbrook on song, the Thunder rolled into a 14-point lead at half-time at 54-40.

But slack defense allowed Washington to recover in the third quarter, and with Bradley Beal producing a 41-point game, the Wizards closed to within one point at 68-67.

Westbrook however asserted himself once again in the fourth quarter, pouring on 21 points to hand Washington their ninth defeat in as many visits to Oklahoma.

The victory helped Oklahoma City improve to 28-20 in the Western Conference to maintain fifth place.

Washington are sixth in the Eastern Conference rankings at 26-22.

© Agence France-Presse