BOSTON – The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t hit a shot, and they didn’t have Kevin Durant or Jeff Green to save them.

Finally, Russell Westbrook stepped to the line and hit a pair of foul shots with 13.4 seconds left to hold off the Celtics.

Additional Photos

Russell Westbrook, left, and Serge Ibaka, right, of Oklahoma City battle Boston’s Kevin Garnett for a rebound. Garnett was hit on the head but returned to the game. The Associated Press

Westbrook scored 31 points, including six free throws in the fourth quarter for the Thunder’s only points over a nine-minute span, and Oklahoma City held on to beat Boston 89-84 on Friday night.

“We’re not used to finishing games without Kevin Durant,” Oklahoma City forward Thabo Sefolosha said. “Russell had to do it. It showed a lot about our team. It definitely gives confidence to a lot of guys.”

The Thunder led by 10 points late in the third quarter and had an 83-74 edge after Westbrook made two free throws with 7:11 left in the game. But they didn’t score again until he made another pair with 4:30 left, and the lead was down to one point when he went back to the line with 13.4 seconds left.

Westbrook went 11 for 13 from the line, but he missed all seven of his field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter. The Thunder missed their last 13 shots from the field, going without a basket for the last 9:28.

“I knew going into the game that we would have to play just an ugly game,” Thunder Coach Scott Brooks said. “But our guys really battled and picked up the effort throughout the game and it was a good win for us.”

Oklahoma City was playing without two of its top three scorers: Durant, the NBA scoring leader who has a sore left ankle, and Green, who has a sprained left ankle.

“It’s not painful to watch when we’re winning,” said Durant. “Of course I want to be out there and play with my team. I’ve got to make sure I’m healthy first, though.”

Kevin Garnett scored 16 points for the Celtics but had a season-low two rebounds after getting hit in the head in the first quarter. Rajon Rondo had 14 points and a season-low seven assists, finishing the game on the bench with an unspecified leg injury.

Glen Davis went 2 for 10 from the field and missed four free throws in the fourth quarter for Boston, which had won three in a row and eight of nine.

“It’s historical: the Garden, the Staples Center,” Westbrook said. “It’s buildings like that you kind of get ready to play for.”

The Celtics have dodged two of the top young players in the league this week. On Wednesday, No. 1 overall draft choice John Wall sat out the Wizards’ game in Boston with a sprained left foot; the Celtics won that one 114-83, their biggest margin of victory of the season.

But the Thunder managed to overcome Durant’s absence.

“We didn’t start the game with the right mind-set,” Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. “We knew what they were going through. We kind of eased into the game.”

The Thunder took a 77-67 lead near the end of the third when Westbrook lost control of the ball and it rolled over to Royal Ivey, who put up a desperation 3-pointer as the shot clock expired and it banked off the glass and through the net.

Delonte West scored to make it 77-69 heading into the fourth and it was a nine-point game with 7:11 left before the Celtics cut it to 83-79 on five free throws. It was still a four-point game when Davis missed both free throws, then went back to the line and missed 1 of 2. West made a pair of foul shots to make it a one-point game with 76 seconds left.

Garnett played just three minutes in the first quarter but returned in the second with a big bump on the back of his head.

“I didn’t know if I should play him even though he played OK,” Rivers said.

Rondo came up limping during a timeout with 6:19 left to play in the fourth.

“He wasn’t running right and had to come out,” Rivers said.

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