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Durant, Westbrook help Thunder crush Hornets

Feb 28, 2013 - 4:06 AM Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Kevin Durant played only three quarters, but still notched his third career triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, as the Oklahoma City Thunder walloped the New Orleans Hornets, 119-74, Wednesday night.

It was Durant's second triple-double in a week. He had 16 points, 12 boards and 11 assists in the Thunder's loss at Houston on Feb. 20.

"I really don't care who scores, who makes the plays. I care who plays defense and who commits to the floor," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "He's well- rounded. He fills up the stat sheet."

Russell Westbrook had 29 points and Serge Ibaka totaled 18 points and seven rebounds, as Oklahoma City won its third straight game. It marked the first time in Thunder history they beat an opponent by at least 30 points in consecutive games. They blew out the Chicago Bulls, 102-72, on Sunday.

Kevin Martin and Reggie Jackson each had 14 points off the bench for the Thunder.

It was the largest margin of victory in the series, surpassing a 40-point triumph for the Seattle SuperSonics on Nov. 7, 1989.

Ryan Anderson scored 14 for the Hornets, who lost for the fifth time in six games. They were outrebounded 48-25 and shot just 35.1 percent, compared to 55.3 percent for the Thunder.

"We just didn't play well tonight," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "I thought we were really slow and weren't adapting to their switching. I didn't feel good about that defensively."

Westbrook was the catalyst for Oklahoma City's great start. He had 18 points in the opening quarter to help the hosts gain a 30-21 lead after 12 minutes.

A tip-in by Al-Farouq Aminu had the Hornets within 45-41 with 4:36 left in the half, but the Thunder widened the margin to 53-43 following a pair of free throws from Westbrook. The lead grew to 62-45 at the half and New Orleans hit rock bottom in the third.

The visitors went 4-of-21 from the field in the period and were completely dominated by a 34-15 scoring margin. The Thunder went 11-of-18 from the field in the period and made all 10 of their foul shots.

Durant's jumper expanded the cushion to 87-52 with 4:22 remaining in the period. Oklahoma City was up 36 at the end of the quarter and the lead reached its apex at 45 in the fourth.

Game Notes

Hornets forward Anthony Davis did not play due to a sprained left shoulder ... Derek Fisher, who signed with the Thunder on Monday, went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc and was held without a point in nearly 21 minutes of court time ... Oklahoma City swept the four-game season series and beat the Hornets for the eighth straight time ... Oklahoma City owns a 19-1 record at home this season against Western Conference foes.