Friday NBA Roundup: Russell Westbrook's Incredible 1-Man Show Continues
Russell Westbrook isn't a bona fide basketball superhero, but in February, he came darn close—about as close as the Oklahoma City Thunder came to sweeping a tough road back-to-back without winning either game.
A day after nearly leading the Thunder to victory over the Phoenix Suns with a 39-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, Westbrook did himself one point better with the NBA's first 40-point triple-double (40 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) in five years.
Unfortunately for OKC, it wasn't enough to fend off the feisty Portland Trail Blazers in what turned out to be a 115-112 loss for the Thunder. The Pacific Northwest's comeback kids staged yet another fourth-quarter, double-digit comeback, with Arron Afflalo scoring 11 of his 18 points and LaMarcus Aldridge chipping in nine of his 29 in the final frame.
Westbrook's individual efforts, though, won't soon be forgotten, even though they didn't yield a win for his squad this time around. His otherworldly triple-double was but the tail end of a historic February in which Westbrook become just the second player in NBA history to average more than 30 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds per game over a calendar month.
The other? Oscar Robertson, the NBA's all-time leader in triple-doubles with 181.
Westbrook has a long way to go before he catches up to the Big O (168 more triple-doubles, to be exact), though he's gaining on the Hall of Famer as quickly as he can. Westbrook's latest triple-double was his third in as many games—the longest such streak by any player in nearly six years:
The loss in Portland dropped OKC to 10-7 when Westbrook plays and Kevin Durant sits, as he did on Friday while recovering from a recent procedure on his surgically repaired foot. But the fact that the Thunder have enjoyed even that much success sans the reigning MVP is a testament to how good Westbrook has been.
Not just this month, during which his team went 9-3 and he was named All-Star MVP after nearly matching Wilt Chamberlain's scoring record therein, but throughout the 2014-15 season.
And how good might that be for Westbrook? Let ESPN's Tom Haberstroh break it down for you:
"So when we include passes that lead to free throws, what do we find? This season, Westbrook is creating a staggering 58.2 percent of his team's shot opportunities while he's on the floor. The next highest is John Wall at 51.6 percent. I, for one, welcome Westbrook as our Grand Creator.
"
As well anyone should, the Thunder included. Westbrook has arguably been as dominant in his own way as Durant was last season. At the very least, the UCLA product has distinguished himself as the most uniquely and singularly devastating point guard playing today—perhaps ever.
Whether Westbrook is able to stay Super Saiyan through March, beginning with a Sunday matinee against his hometown Lakers in L.A., is another story. There's no telling yet if Westbrook's late-game collision with Andre Roberson will keep him out of action for any significant period.
If nothing else, Russ' recent run should thrust him into the thick of the league's compelling MVP race and, more importantly, give head coach Scott Brooks positive pause the next time he's concerned about splitting up his superstars.
Dubs Dominate North of the Border
The Golden State Warriors couldn't quite overcome the hottest team in the East on Thursday, but the conference's No. 2 seed? A piece of cake.
At least, that's how things turned out for the Warriors against the Toronto Raptors on Friday. Golden State turned on the screws of its top-ranked defense to score a dominant 113-89 win in Canada.
Then again, even turning on the screws might be a mild way of describing what the Dubs did to Toronto's top-five offense. The Raptors hit just one of their first 20 shots to fall behind by 16 points and finished the first half with just 31 points against the 54 that Golden State posted. By the end of the third quarter, the Warriors' lead had ballooned to a whopping 41 points.
All told, Toronto's starters combined for just one of the team's 15 assists and 10 of the Raptors' 19 turnovers.
"That was just a good old-fashioned woodshed butt-kicking," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said afterward (via Bay Area News Group's Diamond Leung).
On the other end, the Warriors did what they always do: rain fire from beyond the arc. Despite temperatures in Toronto that were far more frigid than those back in the Bay Area, Golden State went 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) on threes, including 8-of-12 between Stephen Curry (22 points) and Klay Thompson (25 points).
This, after the Splash Brothers combined for a dry 10-of-30 from the field in Cleveland the night before.
Of course, it helps that Golden State didn't have to contend with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love this time around. Instead, the Warriors smothered the All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry (four points on 1-of-7 shooting, no assists) and DeMar DeRozan (4-of-16 shooting, no assists, three turnovers), even while Andre Iguodala rested.
Andrew Bogut could get a night off of his own on Sunday, when the Warriors take on the Celtics in Boston. They'll head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets the very next night to finish off a six-game road trip and a stretch of 10 out of 11 away from Oracle Arena.
The Warriors can look forward to some home cooking, even if the opposition therein—the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers—will be of a spoiler's caliber. The Dubs have been dynamite in their own building this season, beating their opponents by nearly 16 points per game in the Bay.
Then again, they've been pretty great in most places they've gone in 2014-15—Toronto now included.
George Hill Shines While Cavs Stars Sit
Folks in Indianapolis were probably disappointed to discover that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving would spend the evening at rest. Those two had more than earned the night off, after combining for 66 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 110-99 win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Fortunately, George Hill was there to put on a show for the Indiana Pacers' home faithful. The IUPUI product racked up 15 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to propel the Pacers to a crucial 93-86 win over the short-staffed Cavs.
The win was the Pacers' fourth in their last five outings and moved Indy's record to 9-5 since Hill returned from his most recent injury stint. More importantly, the Pacers moved into a tie for eighth in the East, with another George—Paul George—working his way toward an earlier-than-expected return from a devastating compound fracture in his leg.
"I think we can be a scary team going into the playoffs," head coach Frank Vogel said after the game (via Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick).
Especially if they have all of their Georges in a row.
Wizards Keep Flailing in Philly
So much for the Washington Wizards finding a brief respite from their recent misery in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Wizards' current slide extended to six games in an ugly 89-81 loss to the talent-starved Philadelphia 76ers. Washington held Philly to 35 percent shooting but couldn't keep the Sixers off the foul line (21-of-34 from the stripe). Worse still, the Wizards hit an unsightly 32.3 percent of their own tries from the floor, including just 4-of-17 from three.
To be sure, the Wizards should expect these struggles to abate at some point in the not-too-distant future. Bradley Beal, Paul Pierce and Kris Humphries, all out with injuries, will be back.
Until then, the Wizards' state of affairs, after losing 11 of 13, can be summed up thusly:
Big Day for Bulls, On and Off the Court
To paraphrase the inimitable Ice Cube, it was a good day for the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
First came word that the operation to repair the meniscus in Derrick Rose's right knee went swimmingly. "This morning’s procedure went great," Bulls general manager Gar Forman said in an official statement. "Derrick is expected to make a full recovery and he is anticipated to return to play in four to six weeks."
Then, the remaining Bulls banded together to beat the resurgent Minnesota Timberwolves in the Windy City, 96-89. Jimmy Butler led the way in both points (28) and rebounds (12), Mike Dunleavy knocked down five threes, and Joakim Noah fell just two assists shy of a triple-double (11 points, 12 boards, eight assists) while Pau Gasol sat with an illness.
If the rest of Chicago's core can continue to step up to this extent, the Bulls should survive just fine without Rose—and be in solid position to compete for the Eastern Conference crown when he gets back.
Knicks Defy Odds to Beat Pistons in 2OT
All signs pointed to the New York Knicks logging their league-worst 47th loss on Friday.
The Detroit Pistons' positive play with Reggie Jackson in the lineup. The Knicks' 0-15 record without Carmelo Anthony coming into the night. This shot to Lou Amundson's nether regions:
This...errrmmm...sky-high hook by Alexey Shved:
Yet, somehow, New York pulled out a 121-115 double-overtime win in Detroit.
And by somehow, I mean, with Andrea Bargnani (25 points, 12 rebounds, four assists) looking like an honest-to-goodness NBA player rather than a punchline, Langston Galloway (12 points, six boards, five assists) hitting a clutch three to tie the game at 95 toward the end of regulation and Shane Larkin tallying nine of his 16 points during the second extra period.
Apparently, it takes multiple miracles for the Knicks to win without 'Melo nowadays.
The Beard Breaks Brooklyn
Don't judge James Harden too harshly if he doesn't shoot well. Judge him, instead, by whether the Houston Rockets win or lose, if you must judge him at all.
Harden's performance on Friday was certainly worth more than a passing grade. He shot just 4-of-15 from the field against the Brooklyn Nets, but he kept his teammates involved with a game-high 12 assists and came through in the clutch when the Rockets needed him most:
Harden's dagger all but sealed Houston's 102-98 win over Brooklyn—its fourth in a row and 18th in 26 tries without Dwight Howard this season.
Clippers Flip the Script in Memphis
The Los Angeles Clippers must've felt like some cross between Rihanna and Kanye West after watching the Memphis Grizzlies strip the ball (and the game) from Chris Paul on Monday—"FourFiveSeconds from wildin', with three more days 'til Friday."
Come the end of the week, Paul and his Clippers looked a lot more like Paul McCartney, jamming on Beale Street without a care in the world. The Clippers' Paul was brilliant once again, pouring in 19 points and 13 assists with just one turnover to lead L.A. to an impressive 97-79 win in Memphis.
"You've got to put that behind you, but we knew we had an opportunity," Paul told Fox Sports West sideline reporter Kristina Pink after the game, referring to his previous hiccup against the Grizzlies. "We didn't want the same thing that happened at home. We felt like we let one get away, but this one was nice."
Especially without Blake Griffin, who may well be back in action by the time the Clippers return to Staples Center on Wednesday. Even if he's not, they should be fine so long as DeAndre Jordan (15 points and 22 rebounds—his seventh straight game with at least 15 boards) is still wiling inside.
Lakers, Pelicans Extend Unlikely Winning Streaks
The New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers aren't waiting around for Anthony Davis and Kobe Bryant, respectively, to return before they start winning games again.
The Pelicans kept their Brow-less roll going with plenty of help from Alexis Ajinca, Davis' closest facsimile in the Big Easy. The giant Frenchman scored a career-high 24 points, including the game-tying and game-winning buckets—both off dishes from Eric Gordon—to push the Pelicans' current winning streak to a season-best four games.
Later on, the Lakers scored their second three-game spurt of the 2014-15 campaign by upending the Milwaukee Bucks in L.A., 101-93. Jordan Clarkson led his teammates with 16 points and five assists, but it was Wayne Ellington who brought the Lakers home, scoring all 14 of his points during a stunning 36-point fourth quarter for L.A.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
