NBA: Thunder on the upswing:”We need this Westbrook”

The Oklahoma City Thunder are getting better and better and have won six games in a row. According to Carmelo Anthony, this has a lot to do with Russell Westbrook’s way of playing.

“The fact that Russ is just playing and not trying to back down for anyone helps us a lot,”said Melo after his recent victory over the Toronto Raptors. Westbrook had played 30 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds.

“He is much more effective when he does that and we act away from the ball. He doesn’t need to hold off on Paul George or me. We have now understood and accepted that. That’s exactly what we need,”added Melo.

This has already been discussed before the season. Even then, Melo and George had stressed that they did not expect Westbrook’s style of playing to change. That’s not what they want. Nevertheless, the team had a bad start to the season, but has now caught more than just a catch.

Coach Billy Donovan looks like Anthony:”No question, 100 percent,”he replied to the question of whether Westbrook should set the tone in the offense:”This is very important for us. His energy level takes our team to another level.”