Westbrook 51-pt triple double powers Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tired wasn’t an option for Russell Westbrook on Friday night.

The explosive point guard had 51 points in a triple-double and scored the winning points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 113-110 overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.

He played just over 45 minutes and never slowed down.

“You’ve got to want to win,” he said. “Very simple. When you want to win, you don’t think about being tired. To me, being tired is a mind thing. It’s in your mind. You’ve got to go out there and compete at a high level and leave it on the floor.”

According to the Thunder, it was the first 50-point triple-double since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had one in 1975. Westbrook finished with 13 rebounds and 10 assists and took a career-high 44 shots to claim his 38th career triple-double.

It was the franchise’s first game without Kevin Durant on the roster since it moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. Durant left in the offseason to play for the Golden State Warriors. In Oklahoma City’s home opener, Westbrook reminded the fans that there’s still star power in town.