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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder fans who braved ice, snow and single-digit temperatures got a special treat -- a look at the old Russell Westbrook. The three-time All-Star scored 26 points to lead Oklahoma City past the Charlotte Bobcats 116-99 Sunday night. He was 10 of 12 from the floor in 25 minutes in his fifth game since returning from right knee surgery. He has steadily improved and is looking more like the player he was before he missed 27 games. "He was aggressive all night, playing downhill on the pick and rolls," said Thunder forward Kevin Durant, who finished with 28 points. "He was just great tonight. That was good to see." Westbrook said he needed time to get comfortable again. "The more I play, the more rhythm Im able to catch and the more rhythm Im able to get," he said. Reggie Jackson scored 17 points and Serge Ibaka had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who won their second straight after losing their first three games following the All-Star break. Oklahoma City outrebounded the Bobcats 44-29. Durant made just 8 of 24 field goals, but sank all 12 of his free throws. He also had six rebounds and five assists. "I get a lot of shots, man," Durant said. "Theres going to be nights when I feel like that. Its a part of the game, and I think thats the beauty of the game -- just trying to fight through the obstacles, do what I can to help my team." Al Jefferson scored 25 points and Anthony Tolliver added 17 for the Bobcats, who had won four straight before losses to San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The Thunder made 13 of 24 shots in the fourth quarter to outscore the Bobcats 31-18. Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said his team had the wrong mindset to close the game. "I think through three quarters we did a good job, but we came out in the fourth, and again, particularly when they brought their starters back, we just couldnt contain the ball and couldnt keep the ball out of the paint, which has been something weve been good at all year," he said. Westbrook scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the first half to help the Thunder take a 61-55 lead at the break. "He set the tone the first half," Clifford said. "He always plays with high energy, and if hes going to make all the shots, then theyre going to be hard to beat." Jefferson had 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. The Bobcats shot 54 per cent in the first half, but were outrebounded 20-13. The Bobcats started off hot in the second half. A 3-point play by Gerald Henderson trimmed Oklahoma Citys lead to 61-60. The Thunder responded with a 6-0 run, including two putback baskets by Steven Adams, to take a 67-60 lead. Westbrook showed some of his explosiveness after a steal. He drove down court, then extended his right arm and elevated for a powerful one-handed throwdown to give the Thunder a 77-67 lead. "Tonight, he was phenomenal," Durant said. "He was great. That dunk capped it off." The Bobcats hung tough and trailed just 85-81 at the end of the third quarter. Charlotte cut the deficit to 86-84 early in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder responded with an 8-2 run. A perfectly executed pick-and-roll ended with Durant scoring on a pass from Westbrook, and Ibaka scored on the next possession to give the Thunder a 104-92 lead and put the game out of reach. Westbrook, who also had five assists, dominated from the start. "I thought Russell really had a great command of the game," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "I think it is good to see him continue to get his game legs under him. I give the staff a lot of credit. They have put him in a position to get better day by day." NOTES: Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti announced before the game that Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha would miss four to six weeks with a left calf strain. Sefolosha left Fridays game against Memphis in the first half and didnt return. ... Several Oklahoma City players, including Durant and Westbrook, travelled to Stillwater, Okla., Saturday night to watch Oklahoma State upset No. 5 Kansas. ... Presti said new acquisition Caron Butler will be with the team Monday after the Thunder signed him Saturday. ... Durant was called for a technical foul in the first quarter after being whistled for a carry and disagreeing with the call. Cheap Cecil Cooper Jersey . Speaking with TSN 1050 following Brendan Shanahans introductory press conference, the Leafs GM also addressed the clubs perceived leadership issues and the type of working relationship that can be expected within Torontos front office. 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The two-time Olympic halfpipe gold medallist informed ESPN on Monday he plans to compete in Apsen, Colo.INDIANAPOLIS - The Sacramento Kings used free throws to survive a cold start until their shooting heated up and they put an end to their eight-game losing skid.Rudy Gay led the way with 31 points, his second 30-plus total of the season, and a trio of 20-plus-point scorers helped the Kings hold off the late-charging Indiana Pacers 99-94 on Saturday night.We needed to get a win, a tough road win, Sacramento coach Tryrone Corbin said. We were able to stick it out at the end and get it.Darren Collison, who scored 12 points in the first quarter, finished with 23, and Cousins earned his 28th double-double of the season with 20 points and 19 rebounds despite fouling out late in the fourth quarter.The struggling Kings (17-29) needed their early dominance to fend off the Pacers.The Kings overcame a poor 1 of 7 shooting to open the game by driving the lane and drawing fouls. They were 6 of 6 from the line in the opening 12 minutes.Then they caught fire, finishing the quarter shooting 9-15 to build a 30-12 lead on a jumper from Gay with 1:53 to play.Sacramento outscored the Pacers 34-21 in the first and continued building the lead into the second. Midway through the period, DeMarcus Cousins made a pair of free throws to give the visitors a 55-32 lead, the largest of the game.Indiana eventually came charging back with some late free throws to cut the lead to 93-89. With less than 10 seconds to play, George Hill, who had 14 points, made a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 97-94. But Gay sealed the win from the line.Pacers coach Frank Vogel has said Indiana would struggle against talented wing players without its top defender on the floor.(Gay) is just a great scorer, he said. This is one of those nights where we miss Paul George.George was lost in August when he broke his right leg during a pre-FIBA World Cup intrasquad exhibition game.What really helped set the ttone was the three primary guys getting off to a good start, Cousins said.dddddddddddd Then the guys took the lead behind that. Once we got going, everybody got into the flow.But, as the scoring margin began to narrow, the momentum seemed to be shifting to the Pacers.Hill came off the bench and scored seven points during a 12-2 run in the second quarter to help the Pacers cut into the 23-point deficit. From the start of the run to the games conclusion, the Pacers outscored the Kings 59-42.David West and Roy Hibbert were the lone starters to have much of a scoring impact. West finished with 17, and Hibbert, 11.Indiana held a 56-11 bench scoring advantage.But down the stretch, Sacramentos big three led the way, scoring 19 of the Kings 20 final points.I think we did a good job executing down the stretch and staying poised, Cousins said. We had a little adversity and we didnt get rattled and finished the game out strong.TIP-INSKings: The starting five from Saturdays game (Gay, Thompson, Cousins, McLemore, Collison) are now 13-14 overall and were 0-5 during the now shelved eight-game losing streak. Since Tyrone Corbin took over the head coaching duties on Dec. 15, the Kings are 6-16, using seven different lineups.Pacers: The injury bug strikes again as Vogel said during his pregame interview that Lavoy Allen would miss time due to a right knee strain. ... Vogel indicated that Saturdays game would likely be the last minute-restricted game for Hill, who is recovering from a sore left groin.THE REPLACEMENTThe NBA announced on Friday that Cousins will replace the injured Kobe Bryant on the Western Conference All-Star team. The four-year veteran will make his first All-Star Game appearance and it is the first time a Sacramento player will participate in one since 2004.UP NEXT:Kings: Host Warriors on TuesdayPacers: Host Pistons on Wednesday. ' ' '