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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder fans who braved ice, snow and single-digit temperatures got a special treat -- a look at the old Russell Westbrook. The three-time All-Star scored 26 points to lead Oklahoma City past the Charlotte Bobcats 116-99 Sunday night. He was 10 of 12 from the floor in 25 minutes in his fifth game since returning from right knee surgery. He has steadily improved and is looking more like the player he was before he missed 27 games. "He was aggressive all night, playing downhill on the pick and rolls," said Thunder forward Kevin Durant, who finished with 28 points. "He was just great tonight. That was good to see." Westbrook said he needed time to get comfortable again. "The more I play, the more rhythm Im able to catch and the more rhythm Im able to get," he said. Reggie Jackson scored 17 points and Serge Ibaka had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who won their second straight after losing their first three games following the All-Star break. Oklahoma City outrebounded the Bobcats 44-29. Durant made just 8 of 24 field goals, but sank all 12 of his free throws. He also had six rebounds and five assists. "I get a lot of shots, man," Durant said. "Theres going to be nights when I feel like that. Its a part of the game, and I think thats the beauty of the game -- just trying to fight through the obstacles, do what I can to help my team." Al Jefferson scored 25 points and Anthony Tolliver added 17 for the Bobcats, who had won four straight before losses to San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The Thunder made 13 of 24 shots in the fourth quarter to outscore the Bobcats 31-18. Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said his team had the wrong mindset to close the game. "I think through three quarters we did a good job, but we came out in the fourth, and again, particularly when they brought their starters back, we just couldnt contain the ball and couldnt keep the ball out of the paint, which has been something weve been good at all year," he said. Westbrook scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the first half to help the Thunder take a 61-55 lead at the break. "He set the tone the first half," Clifford said. "He always plays with high energy, and if hes going to make all the shots, then theyre going to be hard to beat." Jefferson had 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. The Bobcats shot 54 per cent in the first half, but were outrebounded 20-13. The Bobcats started off hot in the second half. A 3-point play by Gerald Henderson trimmed Oklahoma Citys lead to 61-60. The Thunder responded with a 6-0 run, including two putback baskets by Steven Adams, to take a 67-60 lead. Westbrook showed some of his explosiveness after a steal. He drove down court, then extended his right arm and elevated for a powerful one-handed throwdown to give the Thunder a 77-67 lead. "Tonight, he was phenomenal," Durant said. "He was great. That dunk capped it off." The Bobcats hung tough and trailed just 85-81 at the end of the third quarter. Charlotte cut the deficit to 86-84 early in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder responded with an 8-2 run. A perfectly executed pick-and-roll ended with Durant scoring on a pass from Westbrook, and Ibaka scored on the next possession to give the Thunder a 104-92 lead and put the game out of reach. Westbrook, who also had five assists, dominated from the start. "I thought Russell really had a great command of the game," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "I think it is good to see him continue to get his game legs under him. I give the staff a lot of credit. They have put him in a position to get better day by day." NOTES: Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti announced before the game that Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha would miss four to six weeks with a left calf strain. Sefolosha left Fridays game against Memphis in the first half and didnt return. ... Several Oklahoma City players, including Durant and Westbrook, travelled to Stillwater, Okla., Saturday night to watch Oklahoma State upset No. 5 Kansas. ... Presti said new acquisition Caron Butler will be with the team Monday after the Thunder signed him Saturday. ... Durant was called for a technical foul in the first quarter after being whistled for a carry and disagreeing with the call. Nike Epic React Flyknit Heren Sale .Leicester won 25-21 in a heated European Rugby Champions Cup group match on Sunday.Toulon said on its website on Wednesday that it decided to open an investigation after Leicester complained about the behaviour of prop Martin Castrogiovanni and fullback Delon Armitage. 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The International Ice Hockey Federation says Pavlovs avoided a two-year sanction because he acted "without significant negligence in failing to verify the safety of the supplements he was taking.Steve Mason unzipped the bag and inside found zombie heads with mouths agape staring right back at him through whitewashed eyes.Mason removed his newly painted goalie helmet, the latest piece of art for his collection, and pinpointed Philadelphia Flyers teammates who have been transformed into decaying faces and rotting corpses. There was Claude Giroux, with white eyes matching the colour of the captains patch on his jersey. Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek may as well have lumbered straight off the set of Michael Jacksons Thriller video.Beautiful, Mason said, rotating his helmet to eye each ghoulish character.Masons helmet does more than protect his noggin from pucks whipped in his direction on a daily basis. Its a symbol of his love for both ghouls and his teammates, a colorful sign of respect for the guys on the ice who watch his back.The helmet was made by airbrush ace Franny Drummond, one of a very few NHL helmet artists who make the designs come to life. He zombified several Flyers for Masons latest helmet, creating perhaps the most frightening mask this side of Jason Voorhees.I just think it looks cool on a helmet, Mason said. Ever since I was a young goaltender, I always thought the scary-looking helmets were the coolest ones.The 41-year-old Drummond littered his desk with pictures of the Flyers he used as a template for his work. Drummond then picked up his Iwata airbrush loaded with orange clear-coat automotive paint — picked because of its durability, not its $400 a gallon price tag — and held it a pinch away from his sanded white helmet and went to work with a surgeons precession.Its not the most exciting thing, Drummond said, but when its finished it gets exciting. You have to wait for it to all come together.Drummond creates the kind of helmet art that had one collector paying $4,000 for a one-of-a-kind Winter Classic-themed piece.He has created masks for NHL goalies including Bostons Tuukka Rask, Brian Boucher and Montreal Canadiens prospect Mike Condon. Condons helmet has state troopers painted on one side in honour of his father and Band of Brothers on the other for his favourite TV show. Canadiens and Princeton logos are both on helmet, as well as Condons family crest.Drummond, a former goalie who still plays in adult hockey leagues, had his art displayed in the NHL equivalent of the Louvre when Boucher and Michael Leighton both wore his helmets in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.He has built a business by airbrushing just about any type of object, from a bus for a radio host to motorcycles, welders masks and walls. He worked for a time on the show Extreme Makeover, and recalled frantically putting the finishing touches on bedrooms while host Ty Pennington yelled Move that bus! as the show neared its finale.ddddddddddddDrummond studied at Miami International University of Art & Design and custom painted in his PaintZoo shop for 18 years.Hes a Flyers fanatic, and became involved with the organization when he created artwork for a former Flyer for a charity event. He was introduced to Flyers equipment manager Derek Settlemyre and that led to his first helmet for Ray Emery in the 2010 Winter Classic. The mask was decorated as a tribute to former team goalies Ron Hextall, Bernie Parent and Pelle Lindbergh.Boucher liked what he saw and became his next client. Drummonds work soon caught the attention of Bauer, one of the leading hockey equipment manufacturers. Drummond signed with Bauer and became a certified painter for the NHL helmet kings.The helmets range from $400 a mask for youth hockey players up to about $2,000 for the adult versions.Drummond is one of seven artists used by Bauer, most notably Swedish artist Dave Gunnarsson, who paints about 65 per cent of NHL helmets.Whenever theres a third party involved, weve learned the process gets ruined a little bit, said Lee Britt, custom goalie manager at Bauer. Weve learned over time its best for the player and artist figure out what the design is going to be. Sometimes the teams will have a little bit of input.Drummonds masterpieces occasionally go bust. He worked for about 10 days on Ilya Bryzgalovs helmet for the 2012 Winter Classic, only for the Flyers goalie to get benched for the big game. And he sent Star Wars nerds into a frenzy when he painted Yodas lightsaber Flyers orange instead of green.Drummond has been Masons personal artist for two years.Id put his work up against anyone elses in the world, Mason said. Ive seen a lot of goaltenders masks through the years, and seeing his up close and personal, the amount of detail he puts in there, its second to none.Mason was razzed last season when his helmet failed to include any defencemen. Nicklas Grossmann and Luke Schenn made the cut this week and so did some members of the teams equipment staff. He had asked for the new helmet to change his mojo after an 0-4-1 start to the season, and he also needed a darker cage because the brightness of the new state-of-the-art lighting system at Philadelphias Wells Fargo Center has made it tougher to see the puck during a game.The helmet wasnt unveiled until Monday. Mason broke in the helmet at practice and it made its NHL debut Tuesday night against Edmonton. Mason made 35 saves to earn his first win of the season as Philadelphia beat the Oilers 4-1.Mason uses two to three masks per season and keeps a shrine of them, a timeline of his career that is capped by Drummonds glittering pieces.These are more than helmets, Drummond said, theyre keepsakes. ' ' '