Even with 51 points, guard Russell Westbrook was unable to carry the Thunder to a Game 2 win.
51 points part of triple-double, but teammates don’t lend enough help
Exhausted but still expectant late in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook launched a 3-point attempt from the left side that clanked off the rim and bounced over the backboard. Rockets ball, and a few moments later, a Rockets win.
It was an unceremonious end to three-fourths of an extraordinary performance, considering Westbrook closed out the game with a fourth quarter he’d like to forget. No one could blame him for being worn out and off his mark in the late going of the Rockets’ 115-111 comeback victory in Game 2 of their openinground series with the Thunder.
Westbrook had little help from his teammates for most of Wednesday night’s game at Toyota Center.
“He’s got to do that for us,” Thunder forward Doug McDermott said of Westbrook’s controlling the team’s offense. “He had an unreal game, but we have to step up for him — he was the only one in the fourth quarter taking all the shots.”
The star guard finished with a game-high 51 points, but none of his teammates scored more than a dozen. Westbrook was 17-of-43 from the floor, with 14 of those misses in the fourth quarter, when he was 4-of18. His teammates were a combined 23-of-54 (42.6 percent) for the game.
“We weren’t taking the greatest of shots,” Thunder center Steven Adams said of the Rockets’ running their way back into the contest in the third quarter. “They came back, were able to capitalize on (poor shooting) and just depleted our lead.”
The Thunder led by 15 in the first half and 12 in the third quarter. Adams was asked the team’s state of mind after blowing a double-digit lead with the chance to even the series.
“It’s not the best position for us, is it?” Adams said. “It sucks, but it’s not over. We’ll make some adjustments and come back stronger.”
The series shifts to Oklahoma City for two games starting Friday. As for Westbrook’s taking 18 of the Thunder’s 29 shots in the fourth quarter, and missing 14, a handful wildly?
“That happens,” Adams said. “Sometimes the shot goes, and sometimes it doesn’t. Regardless, he needs to get the ball in the fourth quarter. I trust that guy out of anyone in the league in the fourth quarter. That’s fine. Whatever he’s got to do, he’ll do it.”
Westbrook and Rockets guard James Harden, who finished with 35 points on only 17 shots, are the favorites for Most Valuable Player. Westbrook led the league in scoring in the regular season with 31.6 points per game, and his 42 tripledoubles set the NBA record for a season.
That’s why second-year Thunder coach Billy Donovan said his team needs to continue riding its star player — to an extent.
“He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to make excuses,” Donovan said after Wednesday’s loss. “From my perspective, I have to look at the fact that he did play the whole fourth quarter, and you know he was tired coming down the stretch to a certain extent.”
Westbrook, who also had 13 assists and 10 rebounds, said afterward he should have trusted his teammates more down the stretch. His teammates shouldered the burden, however, of offering little help over the four quarters, which is why the Thunder are in an 0-2 hole headed home.
“It doesn’t mean anything when you lose,” Thunder forward Andre Roberson said of Westbrook’s 51 points, part of the first triple-double in NBA playoff history that included at least 50 points. “We all have to look at ourselves, and evaluate ourselves.”