OKLAHOMA CITY -- Even without another scoring outburst from Russell Westbrook, the Oklahoma City Thunder easily handled Miami.
Westbrook had just 14 points -- 19 below his season average entering the game -- but the Thunder still beat the Heat 97-85 on Monday night.
Enes Kanter had 24 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 10 of 12 in 21 minutes off the bench. Victor OIadipo scored 17 and rookie Domantas Sabonis had a season-high 15 points to go with 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City.
Westbrook finished with 11 assists, and his control of the action helped the Thunder build a 22-point lead after three quarters. He didn't play in the fourth.
"He's always looking for his teammates," Kanter said. "He's looking to score, but he knows that he's going to get double-teamed, triple-teamed. They cannot guard him. There's no one guy in the league that can guard him 1-on-1. He's making himself better, and he's making everybody else better on the team."
Oklahoma City improved to 6-1, the best seven-game start for the franchise since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Miami's Hassan Whiteside, who entered averaging 20 points and 14.2 rebounds, finished with five points on 1-for-9 shooting and 12 rebounds.
Westbrook said Thunder center Steven Adams played well against Whiteside.
"Steven did a good job of buckling down, using his size, using his ability to be able to use his body and his strength to match," Westbrook said.
James Johnson led the Heat with 18 points. Miami shot just 36.9 percent from the field.
"You have to give them credit defensively," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They've shown this year they're long, they're athletic, they make multiple efforts."
The Thunder led 55-47 at halftime, despite Westbrook's 2-for-10 shooting.
The Heat chopped their deficit down to four before Westbrook went off. He converted a three-point play, a mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer to spark a 20-0 run that put the game out of reach.
"He's a great player, so he's going to have his fingerprints on the game one way or another," Spoelstra said. "It's a matter of time, and you have to find a way as competitors to overcome all of that, and we didn't."
