Westbrook goes on rant defending Thunder teammates

By Darlene Powers Apr 24, 2017

It wasn't pretty, but the Houston Rockets took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 113-109 comeback win.

As Westbrook was on the bench from the 2:28 mark of the third period until the 9:42 mark of the fourth, Houston outscored the Thunder 13-4.

Coming out with more energy is even more imperative on the road, as evident by the rabid Oklahoma City fans during Game 3 as the Thunder played well early on. Russell Westbrook's three free-throws on the three-minute mark got them to within two, at 100-98, and at 1:53 a Victor Oladipo triple also got them back to a single score at 105-103.

"Yeah, we got to come out with some dog in us", Harden said. "Tonight, it paid off".

In the battle of the MVP candidates, James Harden finished with 16 points on 5-for-16 shooting and added 7 rebounds and 8 assists.

With Griffin out in the second half, Clippers point guard Chris Paul sparked the team's second-half rally Friday night, finishing with a season-high 34 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.

As a result, the Thunder now trail 3-1 in the series as they go back to Houston.

Washington coach Scott Brooks said before traveling to Atlanta on Friday that Mahinmi's strained left calf was re-evaluated and has improved but he "definitely won't play the next few games".

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Thomas' life changed just over a week ago when his younger sister Chyna was killed in a one-car crash in their home state of Washington. "I believe and trust in these guys all year long".

Rockets guard James Harden had the chance to win game three with a three-pointer but missed as time expired in Oklahoma City. He became the first player with back-to-back triple-doubles in the same playoff series since Jason Kidd in the 2002 Eastern Conference finals.

Gerald Green made four 3-pointers on his way to 18 points, helping the top-seeded Celtics return the favor in Chicago after dropping the first two games at home.

Despite the questionable officiating, this was a game the Thunder shouldn't have lost. There was Adams, a "core member" as the front office has deemed him, perfectly capable of answering the question.

"Don't split us up", Westbrook said.

We know Russell wants so badly to keep his team in the playoff picture, but without Kevin Durant, 28, around this season following his move to the Golden State Warriors, he just isn't getting any help.

"Don't try to make us go against each other, try to make it Russell and the rest of the guys, Russell against Houston". We're in this together. "If we could put more (players) out there, it'd be better for us. That's all that matters". That simply won't cut it. Focusing on Ariza, he's shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and has yet to hit a 3-point field goal in the series.