Russell Westbrook's tough night in Memphis was cut short when the Oklahoma City star was ejected in the third quarter of the Thunder's 114-80 NBA loss to the Grizzlies Thursday. An argumentative Westbrook — who notched his 15th triple-double of the season against the Heat Tuesday — was tossed with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter after picking up two quick technical fouls. He jawed with officials about the shot clock being reset for the Grizzlies after a Memphis attempt that he thought failed to hit the rim. Official Brian Forte said Westbrook's objections were laced with profanity, but Westbrook insisted he didn't know why he was tossed. "Honestly, it's crazy, man," Westbrook said. "Especially to be ejected like that when I didn't do nothing. It was just crazy... because I feel like I don't get the benefit of the doubt most of the time. "I get so many techs for just talking. I can't even say nothing when I'm getting hammered every time I go to the damn basket," he said. Thunder coach Billy Donovan backed Westbrook's stance that some fouls against him aren't being called, saying that his star's speed and explosiveness make him "a really difficult guy to referee." "I think a lot of times he's getting hit and fouled and there needs to be more fouls called. ... He should be going to the free-throw line more than he is," Donovan said. He had 21 points, five rebounds and zero assists when he departed. Enes Kanter had 19 points, while Steven Adams grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said that with Westbrook's departure, the Thunder lost "the best player in the league". Spanish big man Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 25 points. Troy Daniels added 22 and Zach Randolph chipped in 21. Hornets 91, Heat 82 Nicolas Batum narrowly missed a triple-double, while the Charlotte Hornets controlled the second half for a 91-82 victory over the Miami Heat. Batum finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, going without an assist in the fourth quarter largely because team mates kept missing open shots. The Hornets trailed by seven at halftime but scored the first eight points of the third quarter and went on to outscore the Heat 31-17 in the period. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 22 points. Jazz 100, 76ers 32 George Hill scored 21 points, collected eight rebounds and dished out six assists to help the Utah Jazz defeat the Philadelphia 76ers. Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood added 20 points apiece for the Jazz. Trailing by four points after three quarters, Utah raced away by outscoring the Sixers 21-2 over the first six minutes of the fourth period. Hood ignited the run with back-to-back baskets and Hill finished it off with a pull-up jumper, putting Utah up 91-76 with 5:57 remaining. Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead Philadelphia. Suns 99, Raptors 91 Eric Bledsoe had 22 points and 10 assists and Devin Booker added 19 points in the Phoenix Suns' victory over the Toronto Raptors. Forward P.J. Tucker had 14 points and center Tyson Chandler had 13 rebounds for the Suns. Guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan had 24 points apiece for the Raptors (22-10). Mavericks 101, Lakers 89 Wesley Matthews scored 20 points, Harrison Barnes added 17, and Dwight Powell came off the bench to contribute 14 points and six rebounds for the Mavericks, who beat the Lakers for the 12th consecutive time. Devin Harris also scored 14 points, while Dorian Finney-Smith had 12 points. — Agencies
