Westbrook explodes for 43 in win over depleted Pelicans
Russell Westbrook takes his game to another level when Kevin Durant is out of the lineup.
Westbrook poured in 43 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder over a severely shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans squad by a score of 110-103 on Wednesday.
He added nine rebounds and eight assists in 36 stellar minutes of play.
3rd game with 40+ points for Russ Westbrook this season as OKC Thunder tops Pelicans, 110-103. pic.twitter.com/rFzenkMwrF
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 19, 2015
The Thunder needed every bit of Westbrook's brilliance, too. Outside of Westbrook and center Enes Kanter, Oklahoma City could muster very little against a surprisingly resilient Pelicans squad.
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Kanter had 24 points off the bench, but no other player managed to reach double digits. The other four Thunder starters combined for just 25 points.
The lack of production from his teammates pushed Westbrook to completely take over down the stretch. Westbrook scored 12 of his team's 15 points over the final four minutes to secure the win.
The Thunder improved to 6-5 on the year, whereas the Pelicans dropped to 1-11.