Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (No. 23) goes up for a shot between Los Angeles Lakers' forward Wesley Johnson (No. 11) and guard Wayne Ellington during the fourth quarter of their NBA game in Oklahoma City Tuesday. — AP OKLAHOMA CITY — NBA scoring leader Russell Westbrook had 27 points and 11 assists while Enes Kanter added 25 points and 16 rebounds Tuesday to lead Oklahoma City over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-117. The Thunder's fourth win in a row and ninth in 12 games improved the club to 41-20, solidifying Oklahoma City's hold on the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Dion Waiters added 23 points while New Zealand's Steven Adams added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder. What looked at the start of the season to be a classic matchup between Lakers' star Kobe Bryant and Oklahoma City's star Kevin Durant, last year's NBA Most Valuable Player, was instead a matchup that featured neither due to injuries. Jordan Clarkson scored a game-high 30 points for the Lakers while Jeremy Lin added 19 and Ryan Kelly had 16 points. At 18-51, the Lakers have the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Lakers coach Byron Scott was not with the team after the death of his mother. Assistant coach Paul Pressey served as acting coach and inserted Lin into the starting lineup after 25 games coming off the bench for the Lakers. Mavericks 101, Spurs 94: Answering the call of their coach's public challenge, the Dallas Mavericks thumped the previously surging San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Center. The Mavs (45-27) snapped a two-game skid and ended the Spurs' three-game winning streak. San Antonio (44-26) lost for just the third time in its last 13 games. Dallas' demoralizing defeat Sunday at Phoenix irked Dallas coach Rick Carlisle to the point that he criticized his team for an inability to compete at a high level at all times and urged reporters to ask the players about the “soul” of the team. The player who has taken the brunt of the criticism during Dallas' now 9-8 stretch since the All-Star break has been slumping shooting guard Monta Ellis. He broke out of his funk in a big way Tuesday, scoring 13 of his game-high 38 points in a momentum-swinging third quarter. Bucks 89, Heat 88: Khris Middleton's three-pointer at the buzzer capped off a furious comeback for Milwaukee, who stopped a six-game losing streak with a victory over Miami. Pistons 108, Raptors 104: Reggie Jackson piled up 28 points, nine assists and five rebounds as Detroit won its third consecutive game by edging Toronto at The Palace. — Agencies
