Russell Westbrook eviscerates Nuggets, Thunder win 6th straight

The Oklahoma City Thunder might be just fine for a week or two while Kevin Durant rests his surgically-repaired right foot if Russell Westbrook keeps playing like this.

Westbrook continued his unbelievable stretch of play on Sunday as the Thunder steamrolled the Denver Nuggets 119-94 for their sixth consecutive win, two of which have come without Durant. The NBA All-Star Game MVP finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds and 17 assists, all in just 27 minutes.

Those 17 assists tie not only a career-high for Westbrook but also the most for any player in Thunder history. Nate McMillan (25, 21, 19) and Gary Payton (18) topped that mark when the team was the Seattle SuperSonics, but Westbrook's outing ties his own Thunder-era record from Jan. 16.

It's probably safe to mark Westbrook down as the Western Conference Player of the Week, as Sunday's performance follows a 34-5-10 performance on Thursday and a 33-7-10 outing Saturday. The All-Star Game MVP may not be the only MVP award Westbrook is in the discussion for at this rate, as he's now averaging an obscene 26.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists, with the Thunder going 9-6 in games Durant misses but Westbrook plays.

He had plenty of help Sunday, with Serge Ibaka scoring 20 points with eight rebounds and eight blocks and newcomer Enes Kanter scoring 20 points with 12 boards. The Thunder shot 52.2 percent as a team, hammered the Nuggets on the glass and dished 31 assists, setting a franchise record with 21 dimes in the first half.

The Thunder host the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday before heading out on a three-game road trip that could be tough without Durant, so it's good that they're stacking victories right now. With the win, the Thunder now have a two-game cushion over the Phoenix Suns for the eighth-seed in the Western Conference.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, looked like the Nuggets, shooting 36.1 percent and appearing largely disinterested for stretches.