Westbrook nets 23 points as Thunder down Wizards

Russell Westbrook scored 23 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder continued their season comeback with a 134-111 win over the Washington Wizards.

In the fourth straight victory after falling 0-4 at the start of the season, Westbrook added 12 assists having missed the first two games of the season due to knee surgery.

Despite sitting out the final quarter against Washington, Westbrook led the charge as the Thunder raced to 79 points in the first half – a team record.

Washington’s Dwight Howard returned from injury to make his debut, scoring 20 points and three rebounds, but could not stop a fourth consecutive loss for the Wizards.

Chris Paul, meanwhile, had 32 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for the Houston Rockets as they overcame a four-game losing streak to beat the Brooklyn Nets 119-111.

Ahead of James Harden’s predicted return on Saturday night, Paul sparked a rally which saw the Rockets fight back from a 14-point deficit in the second quarter.

Clint Capela added 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Eric Gordon scored 21 points to no doubt lift their confidence going into the next game against the Chicago Bulls.

In Chicago, however, the Bulls fell to a narrow 107-105 loss against the Indiana Pacers as Darren Collison snapped a tie with 17.8 seconds left on the clock.

The Dallas Mavericks recorded a sixth straight loss as the New York Knicks triumphed 118-106, while Lou Williams hit five three-pointers to lift the Los Angeles Clippers to a 120-95 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Elsewhere, the Toronto Raptors rallied in the fourth to beat the Phoenix Suns 107-98, the Memphis Grizzlies toppled the Utah Jazz 110-100, and the Golden State Warriors extended their winning streak to seven games with a 116-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.