Friday Bolts: 9.8.17

Alex Abrines will miss the rest of Eurobasket with a right knee injury: “Abrines hurt the knee during the first game of Eurobasket, a 99-60 Spanish win over Montenegro. He scored seven points on 2 of 5 shooting (including 1 of 3 from 3-point range) in 15 minutes during that game.”Today is certainly a difficult day,” Abrines tweeted out in a statement that has been translated from its original Spanish. “Today I have to leave Eurobasket, something that those who know me know it hurts especially, because being part of this TEAM is an honor and a privilege.”

A teammate told Enes Kanter not to return to OKC if he took a picture with KD this summer: “I’m not going to tell who, but one of my teammates, a couple of weeks before that scrimmage game, said ‘if I see one picture with you and KD’, because he knows that KD lives in the same apartment

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as me, ‘don’t come back to OKC’. I’m not going to tell who, but he said that.”

Russell Westbrook’s GQ interview on fashion and his new book: “I think of this as a starting point. My objective is to just get it out there, and for me it was a great opportunity to get people to understand my style, and also to hear from other people in the style world. But again it’s just a starting point. I will continue to find ways to keep expanding my style and keep the idea of “Style Drivers” going.”

Single-game Thunder tickets go on sale today at 10 AM CT: “In an effort to accommodate as many fans as possible, tickets will be limited to six seats per game, based on availability… Please be aware that after verified tickets are purchased, the QR code, which validates and guarantees entry into the arena, will become active 24 hours prior to each game. In an effort to minimize ticket fraud for all Thunder fans, mobile entry or Will Call will be the only delivery options at checkout.”

Dan Feldman of Yahoo discusses the Thunder offseason: “What’s the difference between the Russell Westbrook–Kevin Durant pairing and the Russell Westbrook-Paul George pairing? Durant is better than George, sure. But Westbrook now is also better than the Westbrook who played with Durant. George might also fit better with Westbrook than Durant did, which can go a long way in overcoming the talent deficit. For a star, George is exceptionally comfortable off the ball – important as Westbrook dove headfirst into controlling everything post-Durant last season. George can also be a lockdown defender. And when Westbrook sits, George can dominate the offense himself.”

Semaj Christon isn’t focusing on his contract deadline: “Before this summer, Christon was the Thunder’s No. 2 point guard. With the addition of free agent Raymond Felton on a veteran’s minimum deal, as well as the Thunder trading for Paul George who can also handle the ball, a third point guard may not be necessary. That makes Christon’s role entering this season unclear. When asked about the looming contract decision date, Christon said he didn’t even want to know it.”

James Herbert (CBS Sports) on how to gauge success for every team in the West: “Outside of championship-or-bust teams, rarely is a mission statement so simple: the Thunder have to be good enough that Paul George wants to stay. Everybody knows he has an eye on what’s happening in Los Angeles, but he has been clear that he has high hopes for his partnership with Russell Westbrook. These two indeed have the potential to start something special, giving Sam Presti’s front office another chance to build a championship team.”

Russ put in some work in NYC yesterday: Westbrook played with Enes Kanter, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Hardaway Jr., Brandon Jennings, and others. He looks ready.