Russell Westbrook Scores 45 vs. Pelicans: Highlights and Twitter Reaction
With Kevin Durant out yet again while nursing a lingering toe injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder needed Russell Westbrook to deliver. He did that and then some.
Westbrook matched his career high with 45 points, scoring nearly half of the Thunder's total tally as they earned a critical 102-91 victory over the host New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
The Associated Press (via ESPN) had Westbrook's thoughts on his performance and the game overall:
"Just trying to find a way to keep us in the game and get us a win. This was a must-win for us coming into their building. That was my only thing.
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Thunder coach Scott Brooks added that "Russell is as competitive as any player I have been around. He obviously has the talent and the skill base, but his heart and his desire to win, and to win every possession, is what makes him great."
The win helps Oklahoma City draw within one game of New Orleans for ninth place in the Western Conference. It also makes two straight contests where Westbrook thrust his teammates on his shoulders and came out with a night to remember.
Two days after a triple-double against the Orlando Magic, Westbrook shot 18 of 31 from the field to match his career-high point total, which he originally set in a 2012 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Westbrook has hit the 40-point mark three times this season, twice in the past week.
He added six assists and six rebounds, marking the third straight game he's had at least five in the three major categories.
But the main component of Westbrook's night came from his red-hot shooting stroke. Westbrook began the night making his first five shots and eight of his first 10, scoring 19 of Oklahoma City's 31 first-quarter points. He went into the halftime break with 25, his shooting stroke starting to cool down just enough to begin getting others into the action.
Come the second half, though, Westbrook and Serge Ibaka hoisted the Thunder on their backs. Westbrook and Ibaka each scored 11 points in the third quarter. Westbrook added nine more in the fourth on 4-of-7 shooting, all while helping hold New Orleans to 15 points in the final frame for good measure. The Pelicans went without a point for the final five-and-a-half minutes.
For the most part, Westbrook did his damage exactly how you'd expect: attacking the rim with ferocity. Sixteen of his 31 shot attempts came inside the restricted area, per NBA.com. All night long he seemed to have his way breaking down New Orleans' backcourt duo of Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans. Not even the superb rim-protecting duo of Anthony Davis and Omer Asik could prevent him from finishing.
It was, for lack of better way to put it, just one of those nights that remind you what a force of nature Westbrook can be when things are clicking. Too often analysis gets bogged down by what constitutes a good or bad shot. Westbrook's propensity for taking shots you'd be angry about in a pickup game—let alone an NBA contest—lends his game to this criticism.
Nights like Wednesday remind you why Westbrook has the unassailable confidence to take those shots in the first place. There are maybe three of four players with the physical gifts and enough control of those talents to make some of the plays Westbrook did in New Orleans.
The lesson, as always: Let Westbrook be Westbrook. Odds are, he'll bail you out more often than not.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter
