Westbrook ‘still getting his legs under him’ says Donovan
NEW YORK — Russell Westbrook was excellent down the stretch on Wednesday, both disruptive defensively and dictating offense in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s 114-112 comeback win against the Nets. Yet, one facet was noticeably unremarkable in his historic 108th career triple-double.
En route to 21 points, 15 rebounds and 17 assists, Westbrook went to the free throw line only two times. A down tick in free throws and an uptick in 3-point attempts has been a trend for Westbrook since he returned from an injury in mid-November.
•In his first seven games of the season, Westbrook was averaging 7.4 free throw attempts per game and was shooting 48.9 percent from the field overall while averaging 2.9 3-point attempts per game.
•Since missing six games with a left ankle sprain, Westbrook has averaged 4.4 free throw attempts per game and is shooting 43.6 percent from the field overall while averaging seven 3-point attempts per game.
That’s how the Thunder’s free throw rate dipped from 31.9 percent of its possessions during Westbrook’s first stretch of games, sixth in the NBA, to 20.3 in Westbrook’s last eight games, 28th in the league. Westbrook’s drives per game have also dropped from 16.4 pre-ankle sprain to 14.3 in his return, per Second Spectrum tracking data.
Even though Thunder coach Billy Donovan wants to see his team get to the free throw line more, he's not worried about Westbrook. The Thunder is 11-4 in games Westbrook has played this season.
“I think one of the things is for him when you have two different stints where you miss training camp and then you come back and play a couple of games and you miss again another several games because of an ankle injury, it’s hard to get into any kind of rhythm,” Donovan said. “He’s still getting his legs under him and he’s still getting back to where he was, but he’s had a lot he’s had to overcome and endure since training camp started.
“The way he plays and the way he continues to progress, I think those numbers will go back to where he’s been throughout his career.”
Triple-double watch
Following his monster game Wednesday night, Westbrook not only took over sole possession of No. 3 all-time on the NBA's triple-double list, he boosted his season averages to a triple double: 22.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 10 assists per game.
Quotable
Donovan when told by a reporter he made a “good move” by calling timeout with 8.1 seconds left against the Nets to set up Paul George’s game-winning shot. Before Donovan’s timeout, Westbrook had the ball and was about to sprint across half-court: “If it didn’t work out, you would have been asking me why I didn’t let him (Westbrook) go down the floor and make a layup.” ...
Three things to know •Friday will be the Bulls’ second game under coach Jim Boylen, who replaced Fred Hoiberg on Monday. Chicago lost 96-90 at Indiana on Tuesday.
•The Thunder enters Friday’s game on a fourgame winning streak and a six-game road winning streak, including a comeback victory at Brooklyn on Wednesday.
•OKC has a 13-0 record against sub-.500 teams this season.