Pirate Galaxy » IG PICTUREMemphis: Leading scorer and rebou

DALLAS -- It will take more than a quarter-season of historic production for Mark Cuban to admit that Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook has proved him wrong.Cuban, the outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner who declared during last seasons playoffs that Westbrook wasnt a superstar, said he still isnt convinced even though Westbrook is on pace to be the first player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson in 1962-63.Hes putting up superstar numbers. Thats for damn sure, Cuban said of Westbrook as the Thunder took on the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Im not taking anything away from what hes been able to accomplish, but Im not going to change my definition. Hes putting up superstar numbers. You cant deny that.Westbrook had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Fridays 102-99 loss. It was his seventh consecutive triple-double, the longest streak since Michael Jordan had seven straight in 1989, and his season averages now sit at 30.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 11.3 assists per game.Cuban said in April, about an hour before Westbrooks 36-point, 12-rebound, nine-assist performance in Game 5 of the first round to eliminate the Mavs, that a true superstar can carry a mediocre roster to 50 wins and a postseason series win. He noted that the Thunder failed to make the playoffs in 2014-15, when Kevin Durant missed most of the season because of a foot injury.Led by Westbrook, who has been first- or second-team All-NBA five times and is widely considered an MVP front-runner, the Thunder are 14-9 after Fridays loss and on a 50-win pace for the season. Oklahoma City will have to keep up that pace and perhaps pull off what would be considered a first-round upset for Cuban to recognize Westbrook as a superstar.Thats no disrespect to Russell, Cuban said. Hes been a beast. Few have done what hes done, but Ill stick by my definition. Im not saying that hes not going to prove me wrong and that he [wont be] a superstar by the end of the year. Thats fine, but Ill stick by my definition.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.Stitched Bruins Jerseys . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Cheap Bruins Jerseys . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. https://www.cheapbruins.com/ . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Fake Bruins Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. Bruins Jerseys 2020 . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation.OXFORD, Miss. -- Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy leaned into the microphone at his postgame press conference, flashed a smile and whispered softly.Coaches arent supposed to say this out loud, especially on a game this early in the season, but this was a must win for us, said Kennedy, after his Rebels defeated Memphis 85-77 on Saturday.Sebastian Saiz proved to be the decisive factor, scoring 20 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. The Rebels made good use of the free-throw line, finishing 28 of 33 (85 percent), including 17 consecutive conversions in the final eight minutes.Deandre Burnett scored 19 points and Cullen Neal added 12 for the Rebels (6-2), who used a 20-3 run in the second half to wipe out a 66-61 deficit.We played hard and I was proud of the effort, Memphis coach Tubby Smith said. We had that one stretch where we just blew up. It began when we fouled a 3-point shooter and you cant do that. Weve got to play smarter, but Ole Miss made plays when they had to. Credit them.Memphis (6-2) was led by K. J. Lawson with 17 points, while Markel Crawford and Jeremiah Martin had 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Tigers used a 24-5 surge early in the second half to build a 62-57 lead with 9:50 left, but could not match Ole Miss in the final eight minutes.Ole Miss was 25 of 58 (43 percent) from the field, while Memphis finished 26 of 61 (43 percent). The Tigers were 19 of 29 (66 percent) from the line and outrebounded Ole Miss 38-37, led by Dedric Lawson and Crawford with six apiece.ROLE PLAYERKennedy has a habit of tinkering with starting lineuups in nonconference games and inserted Neal after the opening six minutes.dddddddddddd The transfer guard responded strongly with 12 points, three assists and a steal. His 3-point shot capped the decisive 20-3 burst, giving the Rebels an insurmountable 81-69 lead with 3:01 remaining.TURNING POINTMemphis finished with four starters at four fouls apiece and got only 13 points from the bench. The foul trouble and depth issues were especially obvious as Memphis was burned by the late 20-3 run. Ole Miss had only four turnovers in the second half and only one during the game-winning surge.QUOTABLEIn the postgame press conference, explaining the adjustments made by Memphis during a 24-5 Tigers run, Kennedy said, Tubby Smith is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.BIG PICTUREMemphis: Leading scorer and rebounder Dedric Lawson was limited to eight points and six rebounds in 19 minutes. The Tigers still managed to build a five-point lead heading into the final eight minutes despite extended foul trouble.Ole Miss: After a blowout home loss to Middle Tennessee State and trailing late in the second half to Memphis, the Rebels showed mental toughness and play-making ability with the late rally. Saiz consistently provided big plays in the second half on both ends of the floor.UP NEXTMemphis: Gets a week off before hosting Monmouth on SaturdayOle Miss: Visits Virginia Tech on Dec. 11 before closing December with a four-game home stand. ' ' '