11/11: Russell Westbrook steals the show at KD’s homecoming
It was supposed to be Kevin Durant’s night. After almost a calendar year away from the game, Durant is still working himself into top form, but his return home to Washington D.C. to play the Wizards always garners attention — particularly in his contract year, with endless rumors swirling about him possibly joining the Wiz next year.
It seemed to be headed toward a memorable Durant night, too. The star scored 14 points in the first half on four-of-eight shooting while grabbing 10 boards and dishing out four assists. Lacking a trademark MVP-type performance since his award-winning 2013–14 season, this one was shaping up to finally put KD back in the national spotlight.
Until it happened again.
Not the foot, thankfully, but a hamstring acted up in the first half, and Durant would need to sit out the rest of the game.
Luckily for OKC, Russell Westbrook picked a great night to log a triple-double — it was his 12th triple-double in his last 75 games.
Westbrook went for 22 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and a steal in the blowout win over Washington. Of course it helped that Bradley Beal sat out of the game with a sore left shoulder, but with John Wall logging just 25 minutes and shooting 4-of-13 for nine points, the Wizards had no life. Marcin Gortat and Ramon Sessions tied for the team lead with 15 points, while Otto Porter and Gary Neal each added 14.
For OKC, Dion Waiters put up 25 points off the bench, while Serge Ibaka hit all three of his attempts from deep en route to a 23-point night.
At 5–3, the Thunder are starting to get back into the swing of things under new head coach Billy Donovan. Washington certainly could use Beal back soon, but with a soft schedule against mostly Eastern Conference opponents coming up, they should be able to weather the storm.
