NBA: Russell Westbrook reaches 25,000 points in landmark game as the LA Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons

Russell Westbrook put up 23 points in the Los Angeles Clippers' win over the Detroit Pistons to become the 25th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points.

The Clippers beat the Pistons 136-125 on Friday, with Westbrook also making nine assists in addition to his worthy points contribution as he reached the landmark.

Westbrook, who made the exclusive 25k club with his final basket, joins Clippers team-mate James Harden who passed the same number of points back in December.

After the match, Westbrook said he “was so grateful to be on this team” and that he “doesn’t take any of it for granted”.

The 35-year-old’s contribution of nine assists helped him become only the second-ever player to surpass 25,000 points, 9,000 assists and 8,000 rebounds, joining LeBron James in an even more prestigious club.

The Clippers were made to work for their victory and trailed by 14 points at one stage in the first quarter.

A 109-point haul in the final three quarters helped Tyronn Lue’s team over the line, as Kawhi Leonard also starred with 33 points and Paul George got 18 on the board.

The Clippers have now won seven of their last eight games.

“We had a bunch of defensive mistakes at the start of the game,” Lue said. “We weren't guarding their shooters the way we planned, but we started paying attention to detail after the first timeout.

“Monty [Williams] has the Pistons playing pretty good basketball, but it is tough to close games with such a young team.

“[George] looked good,” the Clippers coach added. “We were going to play him more minutes, but we didn’t need him.”

Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder moved into the Western Conference top spot with a 126-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, overtaking the Minnesota Timberwolves who were narrowly beaten 106-108 by the Orlando Magic.

The Clippers stay in third with their win over the Pistons, while Nikola Jokic made his league-leading 15th triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-108 and remain fourth.

Jonathan Kuminga scored a game-high 29 points as the Golden State Warriors secured a 121-101 victory at the Memphis Grizzlies, while Zion Williamson dropped 33 points as the New Orleans Pelicans narrowly defeated the San Antonio Spurs.

Despite enjoying a 35-point night, Kevin Durant's performance was not enough as the Phoenix Suns lost 129-120 to the Atlanta Hawks.

Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards' miserable campaign continued with a loss to the Miami Heat, while the Sacramento Kings claimed a 133-122 over the Indiana Pacers.

The Houston Rockets also enjoyed a fine performance against the Toronto Raptors to claim a 135-106 victory.

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