Thunder 123, Raptors 102

With four straight triple-doubles contributing directly to wins, Russell Westbrook's ability to make Oklahoma City tick is undeniable.

Not that there was any doubt on Thursday night as the NBA's leading scorer had 24 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds to lead his team to a blowout victory over the Toronto.

It was Westbrook's 34th triple-double of the season as he continued his assault on the NBA's single-season record for triple-doubles of 41, set by Oscar Robertson during the 1961-62 season.

You wouldn't know from his postgame comments, though, as he deflected the talk from his play to talk about the play of his teammates. In particular, he downplayed his role in an 18-6 second-quarter Thunder run in which he'd either scored or assisted on every point.

"They are an aggressive defensive team," he said of the Raptors. "They like to trap and stuff, so my job was to use that to my advantage, take on two people and make sure the guys get open."

The Thunder led wire-to-wire from Steven Adams' hook shot 1:09 in and were rarely challenged, extending their lead to a game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter before running out the clock. The win split the season series with the Raptors.

Also instrumental in the victory was the play of Victor Oladipo, who chipped in with 23 points, as all five of Oklahoma City's starters registered double-digits in points, combining for 80 points.

"We just defended our butts off today," Oladipo said. "Collectively as a group and we did it for 48 minutes and that's the reason why we were successful."

Coach Billy Donovan was happy with the unselfishness of his team in registering 33 assists, and pointed to his team outscoring the opposition 39-22 in the third quarter as key to his team emerging with the win.

"We were able to get some consecutive stops and get out in transition and we got going and were able to increase the lead and close out the third," he said.

The Raptors held a closed-door meeting for more than 30 minutes following the loss, their third defeat in four games.

"That exhibition of basketball is unacceptable," coach Dwane Casey said afterward. "I want to apologize to the fans, to everybody for the way we played tonight."

DeMar DeRozan led the way with 22 points, one of five players who scored in double figures, but with just 14 games remaining, time is running out for the fourth-place Raptors to move up in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors' leading scorer agreed with his coach's assessment, saying it ultimately came down to work ethic.

"That team played with a sense of urgency," he said of the Thunder. "Everything you can think of from the get-go, we didn't do — and the score told that."

Warriors 122, Magic 92

Klay Thompson scored 21 of his 29 points in the first quarter and Golden State cruised past the Orlando.

Stephen Curry added 25 points and nine assists after appearing to injure his right foot in the opening minutes, Andre Iguodala scored 14 and Zaza Pachulia had 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Warriors improve to an NBA-best 54-14 and clinch their third straight Pacific Division title.

Thompson, who owns the NBA record for most points in one quarter with 37 against Sacramento on Jan. 23, 2015, was almost perfect in the opening period against Orlando. The three-time All-Star made his first five shots beyond the arc and shot 8 of 11 overall while helping the Warriors to an early double-digit lead.

Elfrid Payton and Jeff Green scored 13 points apiece for Orlando.

Nuggets 129, Clippers 114

Will Barton scored a career-high 35 points, Nikola Jokic recorded his fifth triple-double of the season and Denver beat Los Angeles to win its fourth straight.

Jokic finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to help lead Denver to a win in a matchup of short-handed teams.

The Clippers played without Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, who were left back in Los Angeles for the one-game trip. Denver forwards Wilson Chandler (right groin) and Danilo Gallinari (left knee bone bruise) also sat, but Kenneth Faried returned after missing nine games with lower back spasms. Faried had 12 points in 18 minutes.

Chris Paul had 18 points and 14 assists, J.J. Redick scored a team-high 22 and Austin Rivers had 17 for the Clippers, who have lost three straight.

Cavaliers 91, Jazz 83

LeBron James scored 33 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland defeated Utah.

Kevin Love played for the first time since having surgery on his left knee last month, and scored 10 points in 19 minutes. But Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert left the game with injuries.

James was 13 of 20 from the field and had 10 rebounds with six assists. He also moved into 13th place all time in field goals in the fourth quarter, passing Tim Duncan.

Irving, who scored 21 points, didn’t play in the fourth quarter because of tightness in his left knee. Shumpert sprained his left shoulder in the third quarter.

Rudy Gobert led Utah with 20 points and 18 rebounds.

Grizzlies 103, Hawks 91

Marc Gasol had 18 points as part of his triple-double and resurgent Memphis topped Atlanta.

Gasol, who had 10 rebounds and 10 assists, reached the triple-double with his assist on JaMychal Green’s 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining.

The Grizzlies have won three straight — including road games at Chicago and Atlanta on back-to-back nights — following a five-game losing streak. Mike Conley had 22 points and 12 assists, while Green added 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Tim Hardaway Jr. led Atlanta with 18 points.

Bulls’ Dwyane Wade out for rest of season with elbow injury

Dwyane Wade decided to leave Miami after 13 seasons to come home to Chicago, hoping his arrival would help galvanize the Bulls team he grew up watching.

The fairy tale gave way to a much harsher reality this season, with the Bulls plagued by locker room discord and frustration between the team leaders and the front office. That Wade’s first season is ending 14 games early because of a fractured right elbow only makes it more painful.

An MRI on Thursday revealed a fractured bone and ligament damage in Wade’s elbow, ruling him out for the rest of the regular season. With the Bulls (32-36) sitting in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and having lost six of their last seven games, the playoffs are looking less likely by the day.

“It’s not the way I would’ve written it,” Wade told reporters after the injury was announced. “But it is what it is.”

Wade was injured in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s loss to Memphis when he collided with Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph. He said after the game that he felt “a couple of pops” and the elbow was briefly dislocated.

Wade averaged 18.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first season with the Bulls. He has teamed with All-Star Jimmy Butler to try to provide scoring and veteran leadership to a team seemingly in transition. He spoke loudly earlier in the season about demanding more from youngsters like Denzel Valentine, Jerian Grant and Bobby Portis.

Fellow veteran Rajon Rondo took exception to the approach and Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has had a difficult time trying to control the situation.

Wade’s scoring average is his lowest since his rookie season and 43.4 percent shooting is the lowest of his career. But his 31.5 percent from 3-point range is the second-best mark of his career.

Hoiberg said that Wade’s injury does not change the immediate goal to make the playoffs and there was no plan to rest other veterans like Butler down the stretch. As bad as things have gone, the Bulls are right on the heels of Miami and Detroit, both at 33-35, for the eighth seed.

“It’ll be an even better story with me out of it,” Wade said. “It’s a challenge for (Butler). And I look forward to see how he rises to the challenge.”

Wade signed a two-year deal that he can opt out of this summer if he chooses to do so. He said on Thursday that it was still too early to say what he would forgo $23.8 million next season to become a free agent.