Westbrook scores 40-plus for 4th straight game in loss to Suns

Russell Westbrook's one-man symphony rolled into Phoenix on Friday night, and he delivered another one of his show-stopping solos.

It wasn't enough to lift his Thunder to a win over the Suns, but Westbrook finished with 48 points, 17 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.

It's the fourth consecutive game in which he has crossed the 40-point threshold - the longest run of its kind since Kobe Bryant did it in January of 2012. Westbrook's also just the ninth player in NBA history to drop 40-plus in four straight. In those four games, he's averaged 44.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists.

Unfortunately, his teammates haven't quite held up their end, and the Thunder have now dropped their past two. Their next-highest scorer Friday had 13 points, and nobody else had more than two assists. The Thunder outscored the Suns by 10 points in Westbrook's 38 minutes on the floor.

Sometimes, the soloist needs an ensemble to give him a lift.