Russell Westbrook Downplays Animated Exchange with James Harden vs. Bucks

The first game of the season didn't go as planned for the Houston Rockets, but Russell Westbrook shrugged off questions about an animated discussion with teammate James Harden.

"I mean, the animation is because we talking about something," Westbrook said after the game, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. "But don't dive too much into it. Like I told you, there's nothing that nobody around the world, media, anybody that can get in between what we have, because we've had it for so long. So the more you keep asking, the more it ain't gonna work."

Westbrook and Harden seemed to be disagreeing about something in the first quarter of Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks:

Houston eventually suffered a 117-111 loss while being outscored 39-24 in the fourth quarter.

Westbrook led the Rockets with 24 points, while Harden was held to 19 points on 2-of-13 shooting, though he added 14 assists.

The two guards have been close since playing together on the Oklahoma City Thunder for three seasons when they first came into the league. However, it's a different situation now after both have become ball-dominant superstars.

Both players have two scoring titles on their resumes, and they have each won an MVP award in the past three years. A main question throughout the offseason was whether they could coexist offensively at this point in their careers.

The first game clearly wasn't a positive, but Westbrook appears confident the two will work things out due to their supportive relationship. 

The duo will try to get on the right track Saturday when the Rockets host the New Orleans Pelicans.