Westbrook gets his triple-double as OKC rolls the Wolves, 113-99
Russell Westbrook wanted his triple-double. He was stuck on nine rebounds, helpless to grab another as he sat on the bench in the closing minutes of the Thunder’s solid 113-99 win over the Timberwolves.
So he did what he could. He campaigned a little. Held up an arm, and asked the hometown scorekeepers to help him out. A quick conference, and a tipped offensive rebound with 2:35 left was awarded, giving Westbrook his eighth triple-double of the season — 29 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Obviously, because some people can’t enjoy life and have fun with things like sports, they’re going to act like Westbrook did something horrible here. And yeah, the rebound was probably a bit iffy. But he was given a missed shot, so everything’s all square, and there’s no questioning what was most important tonight. The game was decided, and Westbrook had taken the Thunder there. What’s so wrong with wanting that little extra feather in your cap?
Especially since Westbrook also had no problem accepting responsibility for another stat: Eight more turnovers for Westbrook, giving him 27 in his last three games.
“I do know one thing, I know I need to stop turning the ball over. I can tell you that much,” Westbrook said, unprompted. ” It’s so frustrating, trying find and make passes and turn the ball, but at the same time, we won, so I’ll go back to the drawing board and take care of it.”
But forget the stat stuff. The Thunder got the win they had to have. If this would’ve went the other way, the panic button would’ve had to have been hit. The Thunder messed around a little with the young Wolves, but finally flexed their muscles with an impressive close. The defense kicked up, Enes Kanter was tremendous, and the offensive balance was excellent.
Scott Brooks made an alteration, starting Dion Waiters instead of Kyle Singler, while he rested Serge Ibaka who was out with knee soreness, with Mitch McGary starting. The new starters weren’t necessarily fantastic, but McGary and Kanter provided some interesting looks as a tandem, and Waiters helped provide a bit more offensive aggressiveness (even though he picked up two fouls four minutes in and had to head to the bench).
Ibaka is day-to-day, so he could return Sunday, but it will be interesting to see how the other spot plays out. When Kevin Durant returns, will Brooks stick with Waiters? Will he stick with Kanter? Whose minutes take the most dramatic dip? These are questions that will need answers soon.
NOTES:
- Kanter had a first half double-double, and finished with 23 points and 15 boards. That’s his fifth double-double already with the Thunder. The last two seasons, Thunder centers had five total combined (all via Steven Adams).
- McGary was solid in his first start: 12 points on 6-8 shooting in 22 minutes.
- Wiggins on Westbrook: “I just takes notes on what he’s doing and what it takes to get where he’s at right now. He works hard. He’s competitive. He’s a great player. I just truly watch him. He’s always in attack mode. He never takes a play off. He’s always improving his game.”
- Hey, the Wolves finished just 3-12 from 3 tonight.
- Ricky Rubio is a human panda bear.
- No headband tonight with the mask for Russell Westbrook. The mask has two straps on it instead of one. Made some adjustments, apparently.
- McGary just has great offensive feel. A couple times Westbrook found him with a bullet pass and McGary caught the ball high, kept it there, and finished with great touch.
- How about Kanter’s little coast-to-coast rim run? “I haven’t seen it myself either. I’m just playing man. I’ve done it a couple times, but that was the first time I went coast-to-coast and finished it… I think they were all surprised. I was surprised too. I did not know I could do that.”
- Kanter has taken 41 3s this season, but none with the Thunder. Asked why he’s not taking many jumpers: “It’s my role they gave me in Utah, to play more 4, and I was spacing out more shooting 3s. But now coach wants me to be inside more, play the post-up game and get those rebounds, so I’m just trying to do what coach tells me to do.”
- There have been three 20-10 games ever from a Thunder center. Enes Kanter has all of them.
- Kanter had nine offensive rebounds tonight.
- Yeah, yeah, disclaimer on Kanter: The Wolves frontline was pretty terrible tonight. Gorgui Dieng is a decent player, but Justin Hamilton looks like an insurance salesman.
- Westbrook was wearing a shirt with Squints from Sandlot on it postgame. I wanted him to answer every question tonight, “FOR-EV-ER… FOR-EV-ER…. FORRR-EVVV-ERRR.”
- The Thunder have scored at 100 or more points in 18 consecutive games, a franchise record.
- I asked Westbrook about his turnovers this morning too: “Turnovers, I’m not really worried about. I’m just trying to find ways to get guys shots. If I turn it over, man, so be it. I’m not worried about that. My job is to get into the paint and try to get shots for my teammates, and that’s all I’m trying to do.”
- Westbrook nearly had the most Westbrookian sequence ever: He turned it over, then immediately stole it back, elected not to dish for an easy layup, instead skying for a massive dunk. But he left it on the front of the rim.
- Anthony Morrow, man. Instant. Offense.
- McGary took a charge in the third quarter, was so excited that he popped up and sprinted back to offense, then realized he was supposed to throw the ball in on the other end, so he had to sprint back.
- Zach LaVine has no idea what he’s doing a solid 80 percent of the time.
Next up: Home against the Bulls on Sunday
