OKLAHOMA CITY—The 76ers came close to ruining Russell Westbrook’s ballyhooed return.
Isaiah Canaan had an epic performance. Jason Richardson found the fountain of youth. And the no-quit Sixers overcame their miscues and shooting droughts.
But the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to escape with a 123-118 overtime victory on Wednesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook finished with a career-high 49 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to record his fourth straight triple-double. He became the first player to do so since Michael Jordan had seven straight in 1989.
Canaan paced the Sixers (13-48) with career highs of 31 points and eight three-pointers on 13 attempts. He opened the game by making his first five three-pointers. Richardson, 34, finished with 29 points, while Luc Mbah a Moute finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
With his team up by one, Westbrook hit a pull-up jumper with 38.9 seconds left in overtime. Then he was fouled while grabbing the defensive rebound on the other end. The Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star game made the first of two foul shots to make it a 120-116 game with 30.8 ticks left.
Then he added three more foul shots to seal the win for the Thunder (34-27).
Westbrook displayed his toughness just by playing in the game.
He fractured the right zygomatic arch, which is the bone that connects the eye socket to the cheekbone, on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The injury occurred when teammate Andre Roberson inadvertently kneed him, leaving a dent in his face.
Westbrook missed Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after surgery. The chiseled 6-foot-3, 200-pounder wore a clear protective mask on Wednesday to shield the injury. He also had a white headband that covered the black strip on the back of his mask. Yet he attacked the Sixers even with a slightly swollen face.
“I mean there is a wild side to his game, and a reckless side to his game that I say with great respect,” Sixers Coach Brett Brown said. “He competes as hard as anybody in the NBA.
“When he has the ball in his hands and he’s got that A to B speed combined with that wild reckless mentality, he’ll go dunk on you. He’ll get to the free-throw line.”
Things could have been worse for the Sixers if reigning MVP Kevin Durant had played. The forward missed his seventh consecutive game with right foot soreness. Durant has been sidelined by injuries for 34 games this season.
The Thunder have managed to remain relevant thanks to Westbrook’s play and trades since the start of the new year by General Manager Sam Presti.
Oklahoma City has acquired rotation pieces in Philly native Dion Waiters (from the Cleveland Cavaliers), center Enes Kanter (Utah Jazz), Kyle Singler (Detroit Pistons) and D.J. Augustin (Pistons).
“It’s going to be quite interesting to see what happens when Kevin returns,” Brown said. “If you are the one and two [seeds in the Western Conference playoffs], you are not feeling that great looking down at a first-round matchup with that healthy Kevin Durant and a team that’s really good.”
Sixers reserve point guard Ish Smith was involved in the Thunder’s recent roster movement. Oklahoma City traded him along with Latavious Williams, cash and a second-round pick to the New Orleans for a 2016 second-rounder on February 19.
The Pelicans immediately waived him and the Sixers claimed him off waivers two days later. Wednesday marked his first matchup against his former team.
“I needed this,” Smith said of being traded. “Here was great. I maybe not was really going to ever play because it’s stacked and loaded.
“For me, I just needed to go somewhere to play and improve on things. I don’t take [getting traded] personal.”
Sixers swingman Robert Covington missed his second consecutive game after bruising his right elbow on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.
Keith Pompey / The Philadelphia Inquirer
Image credits: AP