OKLAHOMA CITY -- Not much about Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook goes unnoticed. In the past week, while much of the NBA has focused on Kevin Durants run at a possible first MVP award, Westbrook quietly has been the Thunders most productive and efficient offensive player. Westbrook turned in another gem on Friday, finishing with 24 points and seven assists in just 28 minutes to help Oklahoma City beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 116-94 on Friday night. Oklahoma City won its third straight and clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Westbrook has been sitting in one game of back-to-backs, so he has played in just four of Oklahoma Citys past six games. In those four games, he is averaging 28.5 points, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 51 per cent from the field. "Hes well rested and hes taking advantage of a lot of matchups," Durant, who led the Thunder with 27 points against New Orleans, said. "Thats what we need from him. Hes playing extremely well. Hes picking and choosing his spots well. Hes playing with a lot of intensity for us." Westbrook said moving in and out of the lineup hasnt slowed him down. "My job is to always stay confident, regardless of if Im playing or if Im missing games," he said. "Just come out with a positive mindset and try to keep going." Serge Ibaka added 16 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high eight blocks for the Thunder. "It seemed like he had 10 or 11 blocks," Durant said. "He was protecting the paint. He was there on pick and rolls. He was there all night." The Thunder shot 54 from the field, made 23 of 27 free throws and committed just 11 turnovers. Oklahoma City led by 25 points at the end of the third quarter, so Durant and Westbrook rested in the fourth. Oklahoma City outscored New Orleans 28-0 in fast-break points. "They were able to steal a lot of buckets in transition," New Orleans guard Austin Rivers said. "I felt like every time we made one mistake, I felt like they capitalized on it, where when we got one, we werent able to." Darius Miller scored a career-high 18 points and Rivers had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Pelicans. New Orleans was without injured starters Anthony Davis (back) and Eric Gordon (left knee tendinitis). "Our guys, they just scrapped and clawed and tried to do what they can to help their teammates," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "Its a tough situation playing against a good team." The Thunder took advantage of New Orleans depleted lineup by taking a 30-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. Oklahoma Citys reserves helped the Thunder push the lead to 44-27. New Orleans went on an 11-0 run before Derek Fisher scored for the Thunder. On Oklahoma Citys next possession, Durant sent a nice pass to a running Ibaka, who dunked to put the Thunder up by 10. Durants jumper with three seconds left in the first half put the Thunder up 60-47 at the break. Westbrook scored 16 points in the first half on just 10 shots, while Durant and Ibaka added 12 points apiece. Midway through the third quarter, Rivers got ahead of the pack for what looked like an easy basket. Ibaka caught up with him and pinned his shot on the glass, then Durant dunked on the other end to give the Thunder a 75-56 lead. "Hes fast enough to keep up with guards," Rivers said of Ibaka. "When you have a 7-foot guy who can jump, running on a fast break on defence, its hard to get to the basket. Their defence is all on him. Without Ibaka, this is a whole different team." NOTES: Oklahoma City started its preferred lineup of Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha for just the 22nd time this season. Oklahoma City has played nine starting lineups. ... Durant was presented the Western Conference Player of the Month award for March before the game. He has won four out of five months. ... Rivers got his first start of the season, and New Orleans rookie F Jeff Withey got his second. ... New Orleans G Brian Roberts left the game with a left ankle injury and did not return. ... New Orleans G Tyreke Evans left the game with a right knee bone bruise and did not return. ... Perkins, Durant and Westbrook were issued technical fouls in the third quarter. Durant picked up his 15th of the season. Stephan Lichtsteiner Jersey . The union filed a grievance late Thursday, one day after Goodell suspended four players who participated in bounties from 2009-11. The complaint says Goodell is prohibited from punishing players for any aspect of the case occurring before the new collective bargaining agreement was signed last August. Stephan Lichtsteiner Arsenal Jersey . -- Once again, Carlos Santana was a huge hit in Kansas City. http://www.arsenalsoccerproshop.com/Auth...Arsenal-Jersey/. Thaddeus Young scored seven of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Turner added 22 points, and the 76ers hung on for their first road win since Nov. 1, beating the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 on Sunday night. Carl Jenkinson Arsenal Jersey .? It was his second straight start for the Jets; he suffered a 1-0 loss against Minnesota Monday. So this season Hutchinson has now won games in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He was perfect three- for-three in the shootout to nail down the win. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Jersey . a€“ All signs point to the Maple Leafs having their top offseason acquisition in the lineup on opening night.With the NHL Draft coming up on June 27 and free agency opening on July 1, discussions between NHL general managers are heating up towards a busy off-season. Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Double Coverage New Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving is sitting pretty comfortably heading into Fridays NHL Draft. Holding the fourth overall pick, Treliving is confident he can improve his club one way or another - be it by selecting fourth or making a bold move. Treliving told the Calgary Herald Sunday that he likes his options in both scenarios. "Well look at anything. Moving up . . . again, what does it cost you? Does it make sense? . . . Whoever shakes out at four is going to be a good player," he told the Heralds Kristen Odland. "But you also cant be fearful of making a big move because you think it may turn out wrong," he added. "If you think it makes sense, you do it. You dont do it because, What if it goes wrong? You do have to have courage to do things." Back to Backstrom Teams in need of a veteran presence in net may have something to talk about with Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrrites that Fletcher "may be willing to retain salary and cap space to trade goalie Niklas Backstrom, who is recovering well from season-ending abdominal and hip surgeries.dddddddddddd" Along with centre Kyle Brodziak, Fletcher may be a prime candidate to make some moves leading up to, or on Draft Day itself. But Fletcher admits that its tough to get things done before hitting the draft floor. "Everyone calls everybody," Fletcher told Russo. "You dont see a whole bunch of trades the week prior to the draft. Its all about trying to figure out who your likely dance partners can be the week at the draft. Itll take a move or two to get the ball rolling, and then theres usually a domino-type effect. Were not there yet." Crow Nesting Marc Crawfords name has popped up as several teams have filled or are looking to fill coaching vacancies early in the off-season. It appears, though, that you can scratch his name off any and all candidates lists as he will be heading back to Switzerland for the 2014-15 season. Crawford is going to remain as head coach of the ZSC Lions of Swiss Elite League, the team announced via Twitter on Sunday. The Lions are the reigning Swiss title holders. ' ' '