Out of luck
The Thunder remains without a win this season after falling to the Celtics, 101-95.
Russell Westbrook got shots that he wanted. Not sure the Thunder wanted them, though.
In the last four minutes and change of Thursday’s loss — another in a season of mounting losses — Westbrook missed all five shots that he took. A pull-up jumper on the left wing. Another pull-up from the right win. A drive. Then a pair of threes from the right wing.
Boston outscored Oklahoma City 16-1 during that stretch.
Outscored the Thunder in the game, too.
Celtics 101, Thunder 95.
“That’s on me,” Westbrook said. “I take full responsibility in making sure that we gotta do what we gotta do to win the game. I gotta do a better job to make sure we close the game. “So, that’s on me.” On a night Westbrook and the Thunder did so, so much right — the defense was stifling for extremely long stretches and the offense flowed at
times like Billy Donovan must see in his dreams — it all fell apart late. Westbrook wasn’t totally to blame, of course, but unlike so many times over the years, he didn’t help matters much.
He missed all seven shots that he took in the fourth quarter, scored no points and committed three turnovers.
He finished with only 13 points on 5-of-20 shooting, adding 15 rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers.
Granted, Thursday marked only the second game for Westbrook this season, and it is going to take time for him to round into form. That is to be expected after he missed all of the preseason. No full practice. No conditioning. No endurance.
Sunday when he played for the first time this season, he had moments of Russellness. Hard-charging drives. Oh-no-he-didn’t passes. But he also showed signs of fatigue.
There were fewer signs of that Thursday.
Westbrook was playing as hard down the stretch as he was early in the game, but late in the game, he just didn’t play well at all.
When Westbrook returned to the game with 8:20 left, the score was tied. The Thunder had let a big first-half lead melt away in the third quarter. The Celtics couldn’t miss. The Thunder couldn’t make. Or get a stop. Or hit a free throw.
Westbrook came in and immediately tried to fix things. We’ve seen him do it before, right? But when he drove all the way to the basket, he failed to finish. Then on the next possession, he got too deep on the baseline and turned the ball over.
He settled in for a few minutes, and the offense got into a flow. Alex Abrines hit a wing three and pushed the Thunder to a six-point lead.
Then on the next possession, Westbrook threw a beautiful crosscourt pass that found Abrines open in the corner.
Splash. Westbrook to the rescue.
But then almost as soon as he and the Thunder seemed to find something that worked, they went away from it.
Westbrook took an inbounds pass after the Celtics made a couple free throws, dribbled up the court, and without the ball leaving his hands even once, he drove in and shot that pull-up jumper from the left elbow.
And when the Celtics tied the game with a minute left, Westbrook tried to save the day again with the first of two shots from behind the arc.
Clunk.
Then after a Marcus Morris three gave Boston the lead, Westbrook took the inbounds pass with 27.9 seconds left and he immediately launched a three. No dribble. No drive. No letting the offense develop.
Donovan said after the game that he never dictates shooting or not shooting because he can’t know what the defense is going to look like. If an open look is there, the coach wants his guys to shoot.
“If he made it, what a great shot,” Donovan said. “It’s unbelievable.”
That didn’t happen, of course.
“I didn’t think it was a terrible shot,” Donovan said.
But the best shot for the Thunder?
On this night, sure didn’t seem so.