Russell Westbrook is having unbridled fun playing basketball. It oozes out of him — and the rest of the OKC Thunder have caught Westbrook’s contagion. They also catch his passes. And benefit from his unearthly rebounding. It’s now halftime between the LA Clippers and the OKC Thunder and the Thunder are up by 29 points.
With Westbrook putting up 11 points, grabbing 10 boards and dishing 11 assists, the Thunder won the first half 69-40. It’s the third fastest triple-double in NBA history, and Westbrook has one of the other two. Yes, the Clippers are without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin — it’s not a fair fight in that sense. But the Thunder is cracking like it does in the sky. The ball movement is crisp and the hustle is relentless — Kanter and Adams are grabbing every board Westbrook doesn’t. (Westbrook had eight rebounds in the first quarter.) Victor Oladipo is back and stretching the Clippers defense into gossamer. He’s got 12 points and Kanter has 13. The Thunder are shooting 61.4% from the field. OKC is the pay-to-see team in the NBA right now. No team, not even the Warriors, are putting on a better show.
