Thunder start roarin’; Heat still cold

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – After a busy week of roster shuffling, Russell Westbrook finally got his first look at his new teammates on the floor.

When asked how the Thunder might look once players like Kyle Singler, Enes Kanter and D.J. Augustin get acquainted to the system and Kevin Durant and Steven Adams return to the lineup from injuries, Westbrook couldn’t help but break into a wide smile.

“Uh oh,” Westbrook said, as if sending a message to the rest of the league.

With Durant resting his foot, Westbrook continued his hot play with 33 points and 10 assists, Serge Ibaka and Kanter added double-doubles and the Thunder defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 110-103, on Saturday night for their fifth straight win.

“We feel confident with what we have as a unit, especially with the great pieces we have,” Westbrook said. “Once we get everybody healthy and rolling we are going to be tough to beat. For now we have to come in every night and take care of business.”

In Miami, Eric Gordon scored 16 of his 24 points in the third quarter and, even after losing Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson to injuries, the New Orleans Pelicans had no trouble beating the Heat, 105-91.

Omer Asik scored 15 points and Tyreke Evans added 13 to help the Pelicans snap a four-game slide.

Mario Chalmers scored 20 points for Miami, which was playing for the first time since learning that All-Star forward Chris Bosh will miss the remainder of the season with blood clots on one of his lungs. The Heat made that announcement earlier Saturday.

“It’s been very emotional for all of us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Dwyane Wade scored 19 points and Hassan Whiteside finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat, who kept the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings despite the loss.

Goran Dragic, making his Miami debut after being acquired in a trade from Phoenix, had 12 points. He got a crash-course in the Heat playbook about three hours before the game.

In Los Angeles, J.J. Redick scored 24 points, hitting four three-pointers and all eight of his free throws, and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the Sacramento Kings, 126-99, for their fourth straight victory.

Austin Rivers had a career-high 28 points and fellow reserve Jamal Crawford scored 23 as the Clippers improved to 4-1 without injured All-Star Blake Griffin.