Russell Westbrook had 30 points, five boards, 13 assists, a steal and a 3-pointer in Tuesday’s win over the Kings. Westbrook is having a dream season and has proven to be one of the more valuable point guards. Also, Kevin Durant had 39 points, 10 rebounds and a 3-pointer on 13-of-26 shooting. The Oklahoma City Thunder have now won nine out of the last eleven games.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Miami: Dwyane Wade went off for 35 points, six boards, 12 assists and three steals on 15-of-23 shooting Tuesday’s win over the Warriors. Leave it to the Golden State Warriors to let an injured guy get healthy. Wade looks good to go for now, but as usual, keep an eye out for news on his tender calf.

Boston: Paul Pierce returned from a thumb injury on Tuesday but had just nine points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one 3-pointer on 2-of-6 shooting.

Detroit: No word yet on the severity, but Wallace finished with six points, 12 boards, a block and an 0-for-5 free throw shooting night. Hopefully the injury’s not serious and he’s back for the next one.

New Orleans: Sources close to Chris Paul (knee) tell beat writer John Reid that the all-world point guard is about 10 days or so from returning. Reid guesses that Paul “may return” for the beginning of the New Orleans Hornets’ five-game road trip that begins on March 14. Paul is taking part in pregame warmups right now and is doing some running as part of his rehab

Phoenix: Leandro Barbosa (wrist) got full medical clearance on Monday to return to the court. Even though he’ll be practicing, Barbosa likely won’t return to game action until March 12 against the Lakers. When he returns, he’ll wear a light wrap on his right (shooting) wrist. We’re skeptical about how effective he can be and with Goran Dragic’s emergence, it’s hard to expect much.

Shaquille O’Neal left Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter after taking a hard foul, has suffered a “significant right thumb sprain” according to TNT’s David Aldridge, and will not return to the game. Shaq’s short-term future doesn’t look bright, and Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson are worth a look if Shaq is out. Varejao has better size for the position, and projects to be a more consistent option than Hickson, who will provide more upside and scoring possibilities. Both will struggle with foul trouble.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that Paul Pierce’s thumb is not healthy enough to sustain contact during a game, and that he could miss “a couple of games of for sure.” “We just want to get him to the stage where if someone hits it he can sustain the hit, and right now if someone hit it it would go right back to where it was at,” said Rivers.

Oakland: C.J. Watson will miss Thursday’s game due to the flu and a possible appendicitis according to team officials. The Golden State Warriors are decimated by injuries, which means that Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry are strong candidates to play close to a full game, and Anthony Morrow and Anthony Tolliver will get more touches.

Utah: Andrei Kirilenko made it through Thursday’s practice and is expected to play Friday against the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento: With Jason Thompson out for up to two weeks with a back injury, Kings beat writer Ailene Voisin reported that Spencer Hawes worked with the first team during the portion of Thursday’s practice that was made available to the media. His status for Friday’s game against the Jazz is still unknown, although beat writer Sam Amick said he would be surprised if he didn’t suit up.

Sacramento: Jason Thompson will miss up to two weeks with two non-displaced transverse processes fractures in his lower back, which were confirmed by X-rays taken Thursday.

Chicago: Joakim Noah missed Thursday’s practice due to a prescheduled doctor’s appointment about his plantar fasciitis.” No worries,” Noah said. “I’m just trying to get back as much as I can and help this team. I’m hurting, obviously, but it’s the end of the season right now and I want to be there for my team and I want to be as ready as possible come playoff time.”

The Wizards and Mavericks seven-player trade is official — Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson are headed to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, and James Singleton. Butler could still be the Mavericks’ #2 option on offense, but he’s joining a more talented team that won’t lean on him nearly as much as Washington did. Then again, he was struggling under Flip Saunders and has a history of elevating his game after being traded, so his owners shouldn’t be overly concerned.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Paul Pierce saved his best for last during Saturday’s 3-point shootout, winning with a competition-high score of 20. Golden State Warriors rookie Stephen Curry finished second, followed by Chauncey Billups, Danilo Gallinari, Channing Frye and last year’s winner Daequan Cook.

New York: Nate Robinson won his third Slam Dunk contest on Saturday, beating out impressive rookie DeMar DeRozan, as well as Shannon Brown and Gerald Wallace. Nate and DeMar both had a few impressive moments, but this tweet from Utah Jazz beat writer Ross Siler tells the true story — “Nate Robinson won with 51 percent of the vote. The other 49 percent voted to end the dunk contest for good.”

Oklahoma City: Kevin Durant successfully defended his H-O-R-S-E title during All-Star festivities on Saturday. Omri Casspi airballed his first shot and was the first player to lose, then Durant defeated Rajon Rondo in a surprisingly long sudden-death 3-point shootout from the top of the arc.

Washington: Wizards beat writer Michael Lee tweeted on Saturday, “For the 1st time in weeks, I finally got the impression that the Wizards ARE open to moving Antawn Jamison.” Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also writes that the Wizards seem “committed to trading Jamison.” The Cavaliers seem to be the primary target, but haven’t officially made any offers as they consider adding Amare Stoudemire instead.

New Jersey: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Louisville coach Rick Pitino have both denied that the Nets are interested in hiring them to take over head coaching duties next season. “No one’s contacted me,” said Coach K, “And if they do, I think ‘nyet’ would be easy for me to say.” There have also been rumors that New Jersey wants to pry GM Bryan Colangelo away from the Raptors this summer, when his current contract is set to expire.

Milwaukee: Jerry Stackhouse hasn’t ruled out returning for another season with the Bucks.
“If anything significant happens again, as far as injuries, I would come to that point of retiring,’’ Stackhouse said. “But, hopefully, I can help the Bucks get into the playoffs and then come back next year with them. That would be a no-brainer.’’ He’s giving Milwaukee a nice boost off the bench but remains a questionable fantasy player.

Warriors G Monta Ellis hit 17-of-23 shots and a career-high four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 46 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Ellis is hot again, despite a sore right wrist. He had a steal, a block and some circus shots, but also committed seven turnovers. With nearly no defense being played in Oakland, Ellis could have another big game on any night.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Oklahoma City: Thunder G Russell Westbrook hit 11-of-18 shots for 26 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and a block in Wednesday’s win over the New Orleans Hornets. Westbrook has nearly double-doubled in each of his last two games and appears to be out of his recent slump. Kevin Durant chipped in with another 30-point performance, which should put him in the lead for the scoring race, but also committed a season-high eight TOs on the night.

Charlotte: Bobcats F Gerald Wallace said in a television interview during Wednesday’s game that he simply “tweaked his hammy” and expects to return to action on Saturday.

Toranto: Raptors F Hedo Turkoglu is expected to return to action on Sunday against the Kings, according to the post-game recap. Turkoglu is being fitted with a mask and should be back on the court this weekend.

Boston: Paul Pierce will not play on Wednesday and is not likely to play on Friday either, according to Doc Rivers. This should not come as a surprise and it’s entirely possible that he could rest until the All-Star break with his sprained left foot.

Boston: Rajon Rondo had 22 points, six rebounds, 14 assists, three steals and two 3-pointers in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat. He’s on fire and is proving to be one of the most valuable point guards around.

Sacramento: Kings’ forward Jason Thompson will miss his next two games to a attend a funeral on the East Coast. That means he’s out Wednesday and Friday, but is supposed to rejoin the team for Sunday’s game at Toronto. Maybe this will give him time to clear his head and get back in the mix for Paul Westphal. In the meantime, look for solid play from Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman.

Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge torched the Jazz for 27 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Wednesday’s loss. Aldridge has been stepping up with Brandon Roy (hamstring) out. He has 20+ points in four of his last five games and even has five blocks during that span.

Utah: Mehmet Okur went off for 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting in Wednesday’s win over the Blazers. After three straight subpar showings, the Turkish Tornado put up a season-high even though he made just one 3-pointer. It should be a big confidence booster for Okur going forward.

Martell Webster

Martell Webster poured in a career-high 28 points and six 3-pointers for the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, adding seven rebounds, two assists and one steal in 48 minutes.

Webster is having a huge month of January, despite a two-point dud last Wednesday. He’s averaging 17.1 points, 3.0 three-pointers, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks, with just 0.6 turnovers in 37 minutes. This isn’t likely to continue when Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw filter back into the lineup, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Phoenix: Suns guard Goran Dragic scored a career-high 20 points off the bench on Saturday, making 5-of-9 FGs, 3-of-6 threes, and 7-of-8 FTs. He added three rebounds, four steals and one block in 26 minutes.
Standard disclaimer — this career night came against the Golden State Warriors. On the other hand, it’s probably no coincidence that he broke out while Leandro Barbosa (wrist) was unavailable.

Oakland: Warriors forward Anthony Tolliver was impressive again on Saturday, racking up 19 points (9-of-15 FGs), one 3-pointer, 11 rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes.
Tolliver was called up from the D-League to help fill out the Warriors’ decimated rotation, but he may be carving out minutes even when healthy bodies start returning.

Milwaukee: Carlos Delfino hit 9-of-11 shots and four 3-pointers on his way to 24 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals in Saturday’s win over the Wolves.

Utah: The Jazz frontcourt of Mehmet Okur (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Carlos Boozer (22 points, nine rebounds) was simply too much for the Nets on Saturday. They combined to shoot 18-of-26 from the field, and Okur even blocked three shots despite playing just over 21 minutes in the lopsided victory. This was the second-highest scoring game of the season for Okur, and with any luck it’ll jumpstart his middling offense.

Chicago: Bulls’ rookie Taj Gibson stepped up in 43 minutes on Saturday, recording 16 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in a road win against the Rockets. Gibson got extra playing time with Joakim Noah (foot) sidelined with an injury.

Cleveland: LeBron James had 37 points, six 3-pointers, nine rebounds and 12 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the visiting Thunder in dramatic fashion on Saturday, 100-99. LBJ continues to flirt with nightly triple-doubles, though so far he only has two this season. He made 9-of-19 FGs and 13-of-19 FTs, and his season-high six 3s