In a game that was missing one of the NBA's biggest stars, another player stepped up to show that he is more than capable of putting on a show all his own.
Russell Westbrook poured in 38 points to help fill the void left by Kevin Durant's absence as the Oklahoma City Thunder took out the New Jersey Nets 123-120 in a triple overtime thriller.
With the Nets playing without Devin Harris, both teams were sloppy out of the gate as they adjusted to life without their lead stars. But what started out as an ugly game turned into a classic when the Nets roared back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to take the lead in the final two minutes.
It was the Thunder, however, that thought they had the game won when Westbrook hit two free throws to put Oklahoma City up by three points with just 1.5 seconds on the clock. Avery Johnson and the Nets used their final timeout to advance the ball and that's when Stephen Graham setup Anthony Morrow for a game-tying three at the buzzer.
It was then the Nets that thought they were on the way to a victory, up four with the ball and just 1:52 on the clock. That's when their offense disappeared and Westbrook stepped up again, this time with back-to-back jumpers to tie the game at 100. Brook Lopez was short from the corner at the buzzer.
New Jersey took another late lead in the second overtime, leading by three with just 4.6 left on the clock, but the Thunder had the ball. Johnson decided to foul instead of allowing Oklahoma City to get a potential game-tying shot off, but Graham fouled Jeff Green in the act of shooting a three. Green calmly sunk all three free throws and Jordan Farmar missed at the buzzer, forcing a third overtime.
The third overtime was when the lights really shined on the Russell Westbrook show. The electric point guard scored all 13 of the Thunder's points, including four jumpers from at least 15-feet. The Nets had the final possession with a chance to tie the game with Farmar passing up a three in favor of a drive but his pass to Morrow was knocked away to end the game.
In addition to Westbrook's game-high 38 points, Green had 37 while the rest of the Thunder's starting lineup only scored 23 points.
Lopez and Farmar paced the Nets with 28 points apiece, which was a career high for the point guard in just the third game he's ever started.
The loss snaps New Jersey's modest two-game winning streak at home. The Thunder have now taken four straight from the Nets and 7 of the last 10.
The Nets have a day to recover from their marathon game before taking on the Bobcats in Charlotte on Friday night.