Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook Speeds Past Pacers in 110-106 OT Win

Last night it wasn't Kevin Durant but Russell Westbrook who willed Oklahoma City to victory. The Thunder beat the Pacers last night 110-106 in OT at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Westbrook poured in 43 points and helped the Thunder to improve to 11-5 on the season. After a somewhat shaky start to the year, the Thunder have gone 6-1 on the road and are currently second in the Northwest Division behind Utah.

Under the Radar

OKC: Russell Westbrook

As Jim O'Brien stated after the game, "Russell Westbrook was very good tonight...We tried different matchups. He was just too much. We didn't have what it takes to stop him. He's quickly becoming one of the better guards in the league. He's so fast and explosive."

You can say that again. Westbrook is averaging 23.8 PPG, 8.3 APG, 5.2 RPG and two SPG. He's been a beast this season. After winning the Gold Medal in Turkey over the summer, a number of the younger players in the league (i.e. Westbrook and Derrick Rose) have been on an absolute tear. While he's certainly not under the radar for most NBA fans anymore, I myself didn't realize he was putting up numbers of this magnitude. Pretty impressive on a team with Durant. This bodes really well for OKC's long-term success.

Pacers: Roy Hibbert

I continue to be impressed with Roy Hibbert. I remember telling a friend when he came out of Georgetown that I thought he would be a huge bust. Wow...has he proved me wrong. Not only has he lost a ton of weight (he's very lean and toned now) but he plays with a lot of energy.

He's under the radar for a lot of NBA fans because he plays for the Pacers and because, like me, most thought he would be a bust. I've taken another look at him, and I was wrong. He's averaging 15.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 2.3 BPG.

If you haven't been following him thus far, give him a look.

I saw an interview a few weeks ago and he seems like a good guy. He purchased 55 season tickets (same as his uniform number) before the season and created a section at Conseco Field House called Area 55. He held tryouts where people showed why they were the biggest Pacer fans and why they deserved to get these season tickets. That section creates a real college atmosphere and puts pressure on the other sections to step their game up. Great idea!