Thunder nets win
Westbrook is ‘rocking’ in OKC win
OKC beat Cleveland at the ‘Peake, 100-83.
Russell Westbrook backpedaled onto defense with a grin spread across his face.
He had just duped Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton with a spin move and sank a midrange jumper over the, as Westbrook might describe him, “little guard.”
As has become customary for Westbrook in such situations, he mimed rocking a baby as the Thunder expanded its fourth-quarter lead.
But it wasn’t just Westbrook’s shooting that pulled the Thunder out of a hole in Wednesday night’s 100-83 win over the Cavaliers. Westbrook logged his 107th career triple-double (23 points, 19 rebounds, 15 assists) to tie Jason Kidd for third most in league history.
Unlike Westbrook’s last triple-double, which came in the Thunder’s loss to Denver on Saturday and featured 11 missed 3-pointers, Westbrook’s ball distribution was the hero of the game.
“I thought Russell was incredible,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “Just his efficiency and him getting us in and out of offense and generating a lot of good quality shots
for the rest of the group.”
The Westbrook-led comeback started with an assist to Adams in the second quarter.
The Thunder (137) were trailing the Cavs (4-16) by six points. Deonte Burton in-bounded the ball to Adams, who slung it to Westbrook.
The point guard met two Cavs players under the rim, and he flipped the ball to Adams as the center cut to the baseline.
That assist, secured by Adams’ dunk, was Westbrook’s first in his six-assist second quarter. Westbrook continued to disrupt the Cavs defense.
“Whenever I had a smaller guy on me, then they came and doubled (teamed me),” Westbrook said. “When they double, just take the double team on and then find ways to get an open shot.”
Westbrook’s last three assists of the quarter came in rapid succession in the last three minutes of the quarter: another cut to the basket by Adams, a layup by Jerami Grant, a 3-pointer by Grant.
OKC tied the game at 47 going into halftime, after trailing by as many as 11 points early in the second quarter.
When Westbrook re-entered the game in second quarter, he found a better way to make up OKC’s deficit.
“We had something that was working, and we just kept going to it,” Paul George said. “Whoever’s got the hot hand, … we go with it.”
Westbrook’s controlled ball distribution continued into the second half. To give the Thunder a 64-55 lead, Westbrook tossed a no-look dart through traffic for Grant, who threw down a twohanded dunk.
By the fourth quarter, Westbrook was smiling and rocking the baby.