The Oklahoma City Thunder achieved a 119-117 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers recently, and this should give Kevin Durant‘s squad a mental edge over the Clippers in the future.
Russell Westbrook snagged the steal that ultimately led to the winning bucket, and Chris Paul was watching helplessly from the bench. The Clippers are resting their starters a lot these days, and it makes sense in one respect. They are pretty much locked into their playoff seed, but at the same time, this is a group that hasn’t had Blake Griffin in the lineup for months.
Wouldn’t it be wiser to have Griffin return to a team that was clicking on all cylinders? But let’s get back to the Thunder. This is a crew peaking at the right moment, and it is mostly thanks to their point guard.
“I just try to make the plays that help us win games, man,” Westbrook said to ESPN. “I’m the type of guy that would try to make something happen. Sometimes I gamble, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But I’m the guy that is going to put my body on the line for my team and try to find a way to help us win.”
He certainly did that on Thursday. It wasn’t only his steal that changed the momentum of the game, but he also collected the match’s final rebound in violent fashion to ensure a victory. Russell’s rebounding ability certainly sets him apart, but he has also become great at setting up his teammates. That is partly what has caused his triple-doubles to go through the roof this season. He has his moments of insanity when he gambles too much or tries a shot that won’t go in, but by and large everything he does is to help the team win. And it shouldn’t be ignored that Oklahoma City is undefeated when he has a triple-double.
Whether or not the Thunder can overcome the San Antonio Spurs or Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series is still up for debate.
But one thing is certain. Westbrook has surpassed Paul as an elite PG in the NBA, and that is evident in all of the triple-doubles he’s accumulated this season. If their two teams face in the playoffs, then we will get to see a real test of quality between them.
