The Oklahoma City Thunder survived a turnover-plagued game with a 101-91 victory against the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night in the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Russell Westbrook took over the fourth quarter with 10 points on 3-4 shooting from the field and 4-7 shooting from the free throw line down the stretch. Westbrook entered the period with just four points on 1-10 shooting and five turnovers. He finished the game with 14 points, five assists and seven turnovers.

“Russell (Westbrook) really didn’t have a good game tonight,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “He came out in the fourth quarter and stepped it up, some shots fell for him and he got to the free throw line. You’re not always going to play good basketball in this league, but you have to keep your focus and energy throughout the game and that’s what turned it around for us and for Russell.”

Serge Ibaka’s play in the first quarter gave the Thunder the cushion they needed to pull out the victory. Ibaka went 5-8 with 10 points and seven rebounds in just over 11 minutes and three of his rebounds were on the offensive end of the court. He finished the game with 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

“When Serge (Ibaka) blocks shots and rebounds, that’s what helps our team win,” Brooks said. “He has to continue to do that and his offense will come. He’s getting enough looks and he’s being aggressive at putting himself into position to score.”

On a night where Westbrook and Ibaka seemed to be the key, Kevin Durant still managed to put on a stellar shooting performance and kept his team afloat between the first quarter and the fourth. Overall Durant finished with 25 points on 9-13 shooting and converted on all seven free throws he took. He also had seven rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.

The Hornets were in the game for much of the second half due to sloppy offense and poor decisions by the Thunder. From the second quarter on, New Orleans forced Oklahoma City to turn the ball over 17 times and converted their opportunities for 17 points. The Thunder had a total of 21 turnovers compared to 21 assists. The Hornets turned it over 17 times while Oklahoma City converted for 14 points.

“Sometimes we have turnovers by over-dribbling or trying to do too much,” James Harden said after the game. “When we move the ball, everybody touches it and we can swing it from side to side. That makes it very tough to guard us. It’s still early in the season and we’ve got a long way to go.”

Oklahoma City now faces a brutal schedule in which they play eight of their next nine games on the road starting with the Golden State Warriors Friday night.