What a spectacle in Phoenix! Russell Westbrook led the Oklahoma City Thunder to victory with 43 points – against the Suns and Devin Booker OKC needed every point from the MVP.
In the last few days there had been some speculation that the last few days Thunders would have to fear for the playoffs again. Their record against good teams was strong, but they are already having a hard time against weak teams throughout the whole season. And that was also evident in Phoenix. OKC had to tremble until the last minute against a team that was very active in the NBA’s Tanking Race.
It’s a good thing that the Thunders in Russell Westbrook had the current MVP in their ranks, who once again switched back to the absolute best mode. Russ forced this victory to a certain extent on his own, putting 43 points into the basket for the Suns, which he complemented with 14 rebounds and 8 assists. Westbrook met outstanding 16 of his 25 litters.
However, OKC was also in desperate need of his points. Paul George (20) and Carmelo Anthony (14) were unable to make their mark on the game, and Steven Adams (11) also played solidly but not dominant. The Suns in turn had a player in their ranks who turned up almost as much as Westbrook: Devin Booker played similarly outstanding 39 points (16/28 FG), 6 rebounds and 8 assists.
Booker was first and foremost founded by Josh Jackson and T. J. Warren (both 19 points) and Elfrid Payton (18, plus 10 rebounds and 8 assists), but in the final phase it was almost only a shootout between him and Westbrook. Russ also provided the curious highlight of the game in the third quarter, when he took away the mop from one of the wipers and swept up his sweat even in the zone.
In the fourth quarter Westbrook was serious again and carried his team in the last minutes. Booker kept up for a long time, but 56 seconds before the end it was another Westbrook trio who saved the desperately needed victory for OKC.
Booker nevertheless reached a small milestone, however: He is now the third youngest player to have scored 4,000 points in the NBA after LeBron James and Kevin Durant.