Russell Westbrook continued to put up numbers on Monday night with a near triple-double performance against the Indiana Pacers. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder ended up short as the Pacers won the game in front of their hometown crowd.
Paul George put up 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals to lead the Pacers to a 93-90 victory. Jeff Teague added 17 points, four rebounds and three assists while Glenn Robinson scored 14 points off the bench.
Sophomore sensation Myles Turner had an off game for the Pacers as he only shot 25 percent from the field. He finished the game with ten points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks. The Pacers improved to 29-22 as they are now on a seven-game winning streak.
Indiana is currently sixth in the Eastern Conference standings but they are just six games behind the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers are one of the hottest teams in the East along with the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.
On the other hand, Westbrook had 27 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists, one steal and two blocks in the three-point loss. The MVP candidate struggled from the field as he shot 37 percent and needed 27 shots to get to 27 points.
Andre Roberson added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds while Steven Adams put up a solid line of 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Victor Oladipo also struggled from the field with his 25 percent shooting. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The loss put the Thunder back in seventh in the Western Conference standings with a 30-23 record. They are safe from being matched up with the Golden State Warriors since the eight-seeded Denver Nuggets are six and a half games back them.
The Thunder need to put up more wins to solidify Westbrook's candidacy as this season's MVP. The 28-year-old superstar is still averaging a triple-double at 31.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 10.2 assists per games this season.
Oklahoma City goes home on Thursday as they host the Cavaliers at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Golden State Warriors visit next on Saturday in Kevin Durant's first game in OKC since leaving in free agency, per NBA.com.
On the other hand, the Pacers also host the defending champs on Wednesday at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Check out the video below to watch Andre Roberson posterize Myles Turner during the game between the Pacers and Thunder.