Oklahoma City routs Cavaliers

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Russell Westbrook dunked on the Cavaliers. Byron Scott slammed them even harder.

Westbrook began a personal 12-point scoring tear by crushing a two-handed jam in the third quarter that awakened his listless Thunder teammates and led Oklahoma City to a 95-75 win Sunday over Cleveland, leaving Scott to doubt his team’s toughness.

“I’m really starting to question what type of heart we have as a basketball team,” he said.

Westbrook scored 14 of his 20 points in the third quarter, helping the Thunder open a 20-point cushion and coast to an easy win. He began his one-man sideshow by delivering a dunk that stunned the Thunder, the Cavs and 19,000 fans.

“It caught us all by surprise,” Kevin Durant said. “That was a big-time dunk. I’ve been waiting for that one.”

Westbrook followed it up with five consecutive layups, spinning around or blowing past any Cleveland defender daring to cover him.

Scott was incensed that none of his players bothered putting a body on Westbrook.

“It was too easy,” he said. “He’s a great player, but it gets to a point as a team where enough is enough and somebody has to knock him on his [rear end]. It’s as simple as that, and that’s where the heart part comes in. Or are you just going to keep backing down and taking it?”

Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, had 19 points — nine below his average — but the Thunder hardly needed him while improving to 19-6 against Eastern Conference teams.

Daniel Gibson scored 13 and J.J. Hickson had 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Gibson had nothing but nice things to say about Westbrook.

“He put his stamp on the game,” Gibson said.