Westbrook, Thunder race past shorthanded Spurs

Despite resting five of their top players, the San Antonio Spurs jumped out to a surprising lead on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then Russell Westbrook went to work.  
Westbrook scored 20 of his 29 points in the middle two quarters and added eight assists Saturday night, and the host Thunder raced past the shorthanded Spurs, 111-92, for their seventh straight victory.  
Kevin Durant had 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who have not lost since a 93-85 setback at San Antonio on March 12. Oklahoma City (51-22) is the only team to have beaten San Antonio (61-12) twice this season. “We come out every night and play for ourselves,” said Westbrook, who made 10-of-18 shots. “We don’t worry about other teams and what they’re doing.”  
“They did what they were supposed to do,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “In the end, they kicked our butt.”  
As he often does, Popovich decided to rest his star players. Given the night off were All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, “French Flash” Tony Parker and Argentine supersub Manu Ginobili. In addition, All-Star Kawhi Leonard sat out with a bruised quadriceps.  
The starting lineup included Serbian rookie Boban Marjanovic and little-used second-year forward Kyle Anderson. But David West made four jump shots in a 19-3 run that gave the Spurs a 34-25 lead early in the second quarter and had the sellout crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena groaning.  “They’re a good team, regardless of who they play,” Westbrook said. “They have a good system.”  
Westbrook, who scored eight points in the first quarter, found another gear. He scored 12 points in the last eight minutes of the half as the Thunder regained a 48-44 lead. Oklahoma City broke open the game in the third quarter. Westbrook found New Zealand’s Steven Adams and Congo native Serge Ibaka with nifty passes for powerful dunks, then added his own flying slam for a 74-59 lead with 2:37 remaining.  “I just tried to stay in attack mode,” Westbrook said. “They do a good job of packing the paint. I just tried to take what the defense was giving me.”  
A three-pointer by Durant pushed the margin to 83-61 late in the third period, and San Antonio got no closer than 17 points thereafter. The Spurs were outscored, 59-37, in the middle two quarters.  “I thought (Westbrook’s) offence kind of answered and stopped some runs,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “That second and third quarter he really played well.”
Turkey’s Enes Kanter had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Ibaka added 15 and eight for the Thunder, who shot 52 percent (44-of-85) and held a 47-34 advantage on the boards.  West and rookie Jonathan Simmons scored 17 points apiece for the Spurs, who shot 43 percent (37-of-86) and lost the second of back-to-back contests for the first time in 15 tries this season.  
Elsewhere:  
Cleveland Cavaliers 107, New York Knicks 93: LeBron James had his second triple-double of the week with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the visiting Cavaliers kept their 2 ½-game lead atop the Eastern Conference.  
Toronto Raptors 115, New Orleans Pelicans 91: DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points to lead seven players in double figures for the visiting Raptors (49-23), who tied a franchise record for wins in a season.  
Atlanta Hawks 112, Detroit Pistons 95: Paul Millsap scored 23 points to lead eight players in double figures for the Hawks, who have won eight of nine. The Pistons fell to 5-2 on their league season-high nine-game homestand.  
Brooklyn Nets 120, Indiana Pacers 110: Brook Lopez scored 23 points as the host Nets rallied past the Pacers, who remained seventh in the East, a percentage point ahead of Detroit.  
Orlando Magic 111, Chicago Bulls 89: DeWayne Dedmon had a career-high 18 points and season-high 13 rebounds as the host Magic dealt a third straight loss to the Bulls, who remained two games out of the East’s final playoff spot.  
Charlotte Hornets 115, Milwaukee Bucks 91: France’s Nic Batum scored 25 points for the visiting Hornets, who are 12-3 in March and handed the Bucks their fifth straight setback.  
Utah Jazz 93, Minnesota Timberwolves 84: Gordon Hayward scored 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the visiting Jazz moved into the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.  
Boston Celtics 102, Phoenix Suns 99: Former Sun Isaiah Thomas scored 28 points for the visiting Celtics, who won their fourth straight game.  
Portland Trail Blazers 108, Philadelphia 76ers 105: CJ McCollum scored 25 points for the Trail Blazers, who have won four in a row at home and handed the 76ers their eighth straight loss.