Russell Westbrook needed rebounds to reach a milestone 49ers Fred Warner Jersey , so Paul George took care of the points.

George scored 40 points, Westbrook clinched a triple-double average for the second straight season and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 137-123 on Wednesday night.

Westbrook entered the game 16 rebounds shy of becoming the first player to average a triple-double for a season more than once. He reached that total with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter and received a standing ovation. He finished with just six points, but had a career-high 20 rebounds and 19 assists.

”I’m very, very thankful and blessed, man, to go out and compete,” Westbrook said. ”Like I’ve said many, many times, I don’t take this game for granted. I don’t take going out on the floor and competing for granted.”

George made 13 of 20 shots, including eight of 14 3-pointers.

”I just caught a rhythm early,” George said. ”It’s just sticking with it, staying with the process and just putting work in – a lot of work in. It paid off tonight.”

With a loss, the Thunder would have been a No. 8 seed and forced to play No. 1 seed Houston in the first round. Instead, Oklahoma City will play Utah.

Steven Adams scored 24 points and Corey Brewer added 17 for the Thunder, who matched a franchise record with 20 made 3-pointers.

Dillon Brooks scored a career-high 36 points for Memphis.

Westbrook had one of the most unusual first halves of his career to help the Thunder take a 20-point lead. He had 12 assists and 11 rebounds Christian Yelich Jersey , yet only scored one point and took two shots. George scored 26 points on 9-of-10 shooting, including 5 of 5 on 3-pointers in the first half to help Oklahoma City score a season-high 77 points in the first half.

Brooks scored 16 points in the third quarter to help the Grizzlies trim their deficit to 105-96 at the end of the third quarter. The Grizzlies scored 39 points in the period.

Memphis hung tough in the fourth quarter before back-to-back 3-pointers by Terrance Ferguson and George pushed Oklahoma City’s lead to 133-116.

”Obviously, I thought we had plays where we could have prevented points, but for the most part, they (Memphis) just played really well tonight,” George said. ”I thought we did a great job of not falling into just being complacent. I thought we played phenomenal tonight. It just so happened that they played well as well. It’s like that sometimes. It’s just great that we played well enough to win.”

TIP-INS

Grizzlies: Marc Gasol (rest), Tyreke Evans (personal reasons), JaMychal Green (knee soreness), Wayne Selden Jr. (right knee soreness), Andrew Harrison (right wrist/left shoulder) and Jarell Martin (left ankle) all sat out.

Thunder: Westbrook brought F Nick Collison out to midcourt with him before the game. Westbrook said he wasn’t sure if it would be the 37-year-old Collison’s last regular-season game, but he wanted the crowd to acknowledge Collison’s contribution to the franchise. … G Alex Abrines (concussion protocol) did not play. … Westbrook had seven assists in the first quarter. … Brewer was fouled on a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and left the game for good with a knee sprain.

STAT LINES

Westbrook matched a season low with two field goals made and set a season low with nine field goal attempts.

SUPPORTING CAST

Westbrook didn’t shoot well, but the other four starters shot a combined 33 for 55 from the field.

QUOTABLE

Bickerstaff on the team’s 22-60 finish: ”When you go through these types of times, everybody who is involved’s true character comes out. It’s easy when things are roses and sunshine to be a good player, a good teammate, to be a positive coach Authentic Nikita Kucherov Jersey , whatever it may be. But these times, who are you? Hopefully everybody involved learned from it.”

UP NEXT

Grizzlies: Season is over.

Thunder: Will open the playoffs this weekend.

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Needing a good night’s sleep, Jose Urena left the ballpark shortly after midnight Wednesday before the end of the Miami Marlins‘ 16-inning loss to Tampa Bay, monitoring the game on his phone as he drove home.

That made him perhaps the best-rested player when the teams returned to the field barely 12 hours later. And it showed.

Urena and three relievers combined on a four-hitter and the Marlins bounced back from their marathon loss to beat Tampa Bay 3-0.

J.T. Riddle singled, tripled and homered.

”There is a little bit of a hangover. I’m not going to lie,” Riddle said. ”You play 16 innings like that, and you come in eight hours later and have to play again, the body doesn’t feel the greatest. But it’s part of your job.”

While both teams were dragging, Urena looked fresh in his first outing since June 20, when he was sidelined by right shoulder impingement. He pitched five scoreless innings and struck out six before departing for a pinch hitter after throwing 78 pitches.

”Everything was good,” Urena said. ”I felt I could go longer, but I haven’t thrown that much the past 12 or 13 days.”

Drew Rucinski (4-1) pitched two scoreless innings for his second win in the series. Brad Ziegler pitched around a walk in the ninth to earn his 10th save.

The Marlins took the series and went 5-5 on their longest homestand of the year. The Rays lost for only the third time in the past 12 games.

Riddle’s RBI triple in the sixth put the Marlins ahead. The ball appeared catchable, but sailed over the head of center fielder Kevin Kiermaier near the wall.

Riddle added his fifth homer in the eighth.

Three Rays – Kiermaier, Daniel Robertson and Jake Bauers – started after playing all 16 innings Tuesday. They went a combined 0 for 11.

”Urena pitched well,” manager Kevin Cash said. ”He kind of changed his approach a little bit Isac Lundestrom Ducks Jersey , started throwing fastballs in to the lefties and away to the righties. That has generally not been his M.O.”

TANTRUM

When the Rays’ Carlos Gomez returned to the dugout after striking out in the second inning, he took three swings at a cooler, and the resulting thuds could be heard throughout the ballpark.

”He squared it up pretty good, it sounded like,” Riddle said.

Gomez then punched another cooler, which sent cups flying over the dugout railing.

Despite all that solid contact, Gomez is batting only .195.

”When I’m angry, I’m not thinking really well,” he said. ”If they fine for me this, I’ve got enough money to pay.”

Gomez said he was upset because he was hit by a pitch during the at-bat, and the umpire blew the call. He was jeered in subsequent at-bats by the crowd of 7,572.

UP AND DOWN

After using nine pitchers Tuesday, the Rays called up right-hander Ryan Weber from Triple-A Durham as reinforcement. Weber (0-1) allowed two runs in five innings and was optioned after the game back to Durham.

”I knew I was coming up to get the team innings, and that’s what I did,” Weber said. ”I kept the pitch count low so they could keep running me back out there. That’s all I could have asked for.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: RHP Chris Archer (left abdominal strain) felt fine after a rehab start and could rejoin the rotation as early as Monday against the Tigers. … LHP Vidal Nuno (right hamstring strain) Adam Ottavino Colorado Rockies Jersey , who earned the victory Tuesday and contributed two hits before he was hurt, went on the 10-day disabled list. … RH Wilmer Font (right lat strain) was transferred to the 60-day DL.

Marlins: OF Lewis Brinson (left hip inflammation), batting only .186, was placed on the 10-day disabled list. … 3B Martin Prado (left hamstring) and 1B-OF Garrett Cooper (bruised right wrist) are expected to be activated for the upcoming series at Washington. … Miami recalled LHP Dillon Peters from Triple-A New Orleans.

UP NEXT

Rays: Following a day off, the Rays play a three-game series at the Mets, with RHP Ryne Stanek (1-2, 1.98) expected to start.

Marlins: RHP Pablo Lopez (1-0, 3.00), who beat the Mets in his major league debut Saturday, is scheduled to start Thursday when Miami opens a four-game series at the Nationals.

Miami is 6-16 against Washington since the start of 2017.

”We’ve had our trouble with those guys,” manager Don Mattingly said. ”They’ve beat us up pretty good the last couple of years.”

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