Midway through the third quarter Friday night, the Thunder needed some help. To be more exact, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook needed some help on the offensive end against the Rockets.
The Thunder needed someone to answer the bell — and that someone was Enes Kanter.
The fifth-year pro scored 22 points to help the Thunder get past the Rockets with a 116-108 win.
MORE: Classic photos of Kevin Durant
Durant was good — scoring 33 points with 12 rebounds— and Westbrook had another triple-double with 26 points, 14 assists and 10 boards. But Kanter was a major factor in the win, scoring 20 points in the second half.
The Rockets spent much of the second half without their man in the middle, as Dwight Howard was ejected after receiving his second technical foul with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.
It was a big win for the Thunder, after the Western Conference’s third-place team had struggled against the Knicks and Timberwolves, and lost to the Nets on Monday.
High production from Durant and Westbrook is largely a given at this stage in their careers. But if Kanter can produce like he did Friday night, the Thunder could turn into a true contender.
Tweet of the Night
Karl Anthony-Towns is figuring the NBA game out and he’s pretty good at it. The first overall pick in last year’s draft put up 32 points and 12 rebounds in Minnesota's 103-90 loss to the Jazz. It was his third game of 25-plus points and 11-plus rebounds in 10 days.
Lord have mercy Karl-Anthony Towns! #BBN #TWolves https://t.co/j0dv2rKFcg
— Scott Charlton (@Scott_Charlton) January 30, 2016
Studs of the Night
Dwyane Wade hosted his own version of Flashback Friday. The veteran guard scored an efficient 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting, adding four rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks in the Heat’s 107-103 win over the Bucks.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love weren't selected to the All-Star Game this year, but both of them played like it Friday night. Love scored 29 points and Irving added 28 in the Cavaliers' 114-106 win over the Pistons.
Dud of the Night
The Suns starters scored just 44 points in the team’s 102-84 loss to the Knicks. Of those 44 points, 21 were scored by 19-year-old rookie Devon Booker.
Coming up
Spurs (38-7) at Cavs (33-12) 8:30 P.M.: Both the Spurs and Cavs had their shot at the Warriors recently and missed. On Saturday, they’ll get to slug it out with each other. The Cavs are 5-1 since their loss to the Warriors on Jan. 18, while the Spurs looked strong in their follow-up against the Rockets on Wednesday.