Westbrook's 45 lift Thunder over Pelicans in key West clash

The Oklahoma City Thunder have plenty of work to do in order to climb back into Western Conference playoff positioning, but earning a big win without Kevin Durant in New Orleans is a good start.

The Thunder outscored the New Orleans Pelicans 25-15 in the fourth quarter - and 51-34 in the second half - to pull away for a 102-91 victory on Wednesday.

With the win, the Thunder climbed within one game of the Pelicans in the West standings and within 2.5 games of the eighth-place Phoenix Suns.

Russell Westbrook led the way for the Durant-less Thunder, matching a career-high with 45 points while pouring in six assists, six rebounds, a steal and a block on 18-of-31 (58 percent) shooting. Westbrook - whose six turnovers were the only downside in another phenomenal performance - scored a career-high 19 first-quarter points.

Serge Ibaka added 13 points, six rebounds and six blocks, while Anthony Morrow chipped in with 14 points off the bench, as the Thunder improved to 25-24 with their second straight win.

Anthony Davis posted 23 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort for the Pelicans, shooting an uncharacteristic 9-of-21 from the field.

The Thunder can pull into a tie with the Pelicans for ninth-place when the two teams meet again in Oklahoma City on Friday. A Thunder win would also even the season-series at two games apiece.

A Pelicans win on Friday would push their lead over OKC back to two games and seal the season-series in favor of New Orleans.

Durant has now missed four of the last five games with a sprained toe. He's missed 27-of-49 games overall due to offseason foot surgery, a sprained ankle and his current toe injury. The Thunder are 11-16 in those 27 games.