Westbrook scores 54 points, picks up 16th technical in heartbreaking loss to Pacers

If the Oklahoma City Thunder fail to qualify for the postseason, it will be through no fault of Russell Westbrook.

In a near must-win against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, Westbrook scored 54 points on 21-of-43 shooting, but his team came up short, losing 116-104. Westbrook added nine rebounds and eight assists.

To put Westbrook's tremendous night in context, his 43 field-goal attempts were the most by any player since Kobe Bryant attempted 44 shots against the Seattle SuperSonics in 2008 (one year before Westbrook's rookie season). 

Westbrook also joins Bryant, Chris Webber and Michael Jordan as the only players to have attempted 43 or more shots in a game since 1985.

Of course, when asked about his heavy usage, Westbrook brushed it off.

I don't really give a damn what nobody thinks, to tell you the truth, man. I really don't care. Every night I go out there and compete harder than anybody else in this league and I'm proud of coming out and my teammates don't have problem with it. I'm with that.

Westbrook also picked up his 16th technical foul of the season for arguing with a call late in the fourth. If the call isn't rescinded by the league office, Westbrook will have to serve a one-game suspension Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers. After the game, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks told reporters, "I'm fairly confident that (the tech) will be rescinded."

Kevin Durant echoed his coach's sentiments, as he expressed over Twitter during the game.

However, Westbrook's Herculean effort could not make up for his team's inability to play defense. The Pacers scored 116 points on 53.2 percent shooting from the field, shot 50 percent from deep and attempted 35 free throws.

Leading the way for Indiana was sharpshooter C.J. Miles, who had 30 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Miles was on fire from long range, connecting on six triples as the Thunder's scrambling defense consistently lost Miles amid haphazard rotations.

Still, despite not being able to get a stop, the Thunder trailed by just three points with over a minute remaining. Westbrook hit a 3-pointer, but his counterpart George Hill responded with a short jumper that put his team up for good.

Despite the loss, the Thunder remain tied with the New Orleans Pelicans, who lost to the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The Pelicans hold the tiebreaker and both teams have two games.

Indiana's win put the Pacers in a tie for eighth with the Brooklyn Nets, who hold the tiebreaker. Both teams have two games remaining this season.