Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - The Indiana Pacers overcame Russell Westbrook's career night to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-104 in a key game for both teams on Sunday.
Westbrook scored 54 points on 21-of-43 shooting and also had nine rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who remained tied with New Orleans for the final postseason berth in the Western Conference. The Pelicans lost to the Rockets on Sunday.
Westbrook, however, received his 16th technical foul of the season midway through the fourth quarter. If not rescinded, he'll be suspended for Monday night's game against Portland.
C.J. Miles made six 3-pointers en route to 30 points for the Pacers, who have won five in a row and are tied with Brooklyn for the final playoff spot in the East. Miles also pulled down 10 rebounds.
George Hill and Roy Hibbert tallied 19 and 17 points, respectively, with Hibbert also pulling down 10 rebounds.
"These guys have really stayed in the fight, had a great attitude and a great perspective to grind through the tough spots," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "You get in the playoffs, you've got a chance to go somewhere. We're about winning here. We want to win every game."
Westbrook went on a personal 7-0 run to make it 88-88 with 7:54 to play. However, Indiana responded with the next 12 points to take control. Rodney Stuckey and Miles made 3-pointers during that surge, which included Westbrook's technical foul.
Westbrook scored nine straight points to get Oklahoma City within 102-99 with 3:13 to go. His 3-pointer with 1:19 left again made it a three-point game.
"His competitive spirit kept us in this game," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "Even with all of those things happening to use -- the free throws and the easy opportunities in transition -- those are the things that Russell does. He plays with a lot of heart, desire and determination and he puts us in a position to win the game."
But Indiana ended the game on a 10-1 run.
Game Notes
The Thunder went 11-of-28 from the foul line ... Indiana shot 53.2 percent from the field and went 22-of-35 from the charity stripe ... The game featured 12 lead changes and eight ties ... The Pacers host Washington on Tuesday.
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