Rust: Westbrook struggling in paint

jumper at the buzzer.

But with the Warriors in town for a rematch Friday night, could the memory of that night help bust Westbrook out of his shooting slump?

There might not currently be a better BandAid.

Golden State has dropped four of five and is playing the third of a fourgame road trip. The Warriors also have allowed at least 100 points in four straight games, and they could again be without Iguodala, who’s missed the past three games due to a strained left hamstring.

The table seems set for Westbrook to snap out of it.

Through 10 games, Westbrook is shooting just 38.8 percent. He’s connected on only 29.3 percent of his 3-point tries.

Wednesday’s win against San Antonio stands as Westbrook’s low point.

He made just two of 16 shots, missed all five of his 3-pointers and scored a season-low six points.

You’d have to go all the way back to April 16, 2012, to find the last time Westbrook was held to single- digit scoring in a regularseason game in which he played at least 10 minutes. That came in a 15-point road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

But these are the sporadic struggles the Thunder expected out of Westbrook.

While rehabilitating his surgically repaired right knee, Westbrook was forced to sit out all basketball activities. Prior to making an earlier-thanexpected return on Nov. 3, Westbrook hadn’t stepped on a court for a game since April 24.

“It’s going to take time,” Westbrook said. “Your legs got to get stronger, your body, all your muscles got to get used to working and getting back going.”

Oddly enough, Westbrook got off to a similarly slow start shooting the ball when healthy last season. Through his first 10 games of the 2012-13 season, Westbrook shot an identical 38.8 percent and just 27.9 percent from 3-point range.

But it’s clear this season that rust is a real factor.

Westbrook is missing more easy looks than ever before. He’s shooting 41.5 percent on 2-pointers, which matches the careerlow output from his rookie

THUNDER VS. WARRIORS

When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma (Cox 37/HD 722; DirecTV 679; U-verse 754/HD 1754; Dish 441)

Radio: WWLS-FM 98.1; WWLS-AM 640 Three things to know

forward Andre Iguodala, who hit the gamewinner against OKC earlier this month, is out with a hamstring injury.

The Thunder has won five season. In each of the previous three seasons, Westbrook hovered between 45 and 48 percent on 2pointers.

Surprisingly, it hasn’t been his patented pullup jump shot that’s been a problem. He’s maintained his rhythm and accuracy from that distance and even improved from midrange. He’s made 18 of 29 pullup attempts, or 62 percent, according to nba.com/stats.

But where Westbrook has struggled most is in the paint and at the rim, a sign that, while his explosiveness has returned, his timing just isn’t quite there.

He’s made just 45 percent of his driving layups, in a row. The Warriors have lost four of their last five.

Serge Ibaka has doubledigit rebounds in eight of the first 13 games. It took him 32 games to get eight last season. Projected starters down from nearly 65 percent a year ago. From 5 feet and in, Westbrook has converted only 45.8 percent of his attempts, compared to 56.6 percent last season.

Similarly significant drop-offs can be seen in Westbrook’s accuracy from 8 feet and in, from the restricted area and from inside the paint beyond the restricted area.

The good news for the Thunder is much of Westbrook’s struggles appear to be nothing more than growing pains in his recovery.

And despite how bad a night like Wednesday can look, it’s nothing Oklahoma City didn’t expect.