• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Thunder top Suns in OT

Mar 7, 2011 - 5:35 AM Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 32 points and dished out 11 assists as the Thunder topped the Suns, 122-118, in a high-scoring overtime at Oklahoma City Arena.

James Harden tied a career-high 26 points and added six boards and four assists in a reserve role while Kevin Durant scored 18 with eight caroms in the win, Oklahoma City's third straight.

"Everybody chipped in today," Durant said. "I did not start the game the way I wanted to. I still came out aggressive and Russell (Westbrook), Serge (Ibaka) and James (Harden) picked it up for me. It was a great win for us. We grinded it out. They are a tough team to guard."

Vince Carter paced the Suns with 29 points, including a three-pointer to send the game into overtime, while both Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus scored 20 for Phoenix, which has dropped two of three.

Steve Nash and Channing Frye both scored 11 points in the loss. Nash dished out 14 assists while Frye grabbed 15 boards before leaving the game with 6 1/2 remaining in the fourth with a possible separated shoulder.

Frye was driving into the lane and collided with his right arm into the forearm of a Suns defender. Frye immediately grabbed his shoulder and was attended to by the training staff before heading to the bench.

The Thunder held a 107-100 lead with just under three minute remaining in the fourth, however, Nash connected on a driving layup at 2:42 to start a 6-0 Suns spurt to make it close.

Gortat ended the short rally with a layup, and after both teams went cold down the stretch Westbrook was sent to the line with 11.6 ticks remaining. Westbrook made both, and after a short Phoenix timeout, Carter nailed the long three from the top of the arc to send the game into the extra session.

Neither team was able to generate a substantial lead in the overtime, and Harden's dunk and three-point conversion gave the Thunder the 116-115 lead inside the final half minute. From there the Thunder sealed the game at the line with Durant and Westbrook adding six from the line down the stretch.

"We battled. We had our chances and lost a tough game on the road," Nash said. "That's not the way we wanted to end it. We had a chance to win at the end and we lost."

Serge Ibaka posted 12 points and 5-of-6 from the field in the first, however, the Suns scored six of the quarters final eight points to take a 28-25 lead into the second.

Carter went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the second as the Suns widened their lead to 61-57 at the half. The third quarter was a back-and-forth effort, featuring seven ties, however Pietrus added two three-pointers in the final 1:14 and the newly acquired Aaron Brooks capped the quarter with a driving layup, giving Phoenix a 91-86 edge entering the final stanza.

Game Notes

Ibaka finished with 15 points, seven boards and four blocks; Nick Collison supplied 11 points and nine boards in a reserve role for the Thunder...Jared Dudley connected on 2-of-3 from long range en route to 10 points off the Suns' bench...The Thunder went 37-of-47 from the line, 8-of-14 for Phoenix...Oklahoma City is 6-1 in overtime games this season.