Russell Westbrook flat out dominated the game once again for the Thunder. He started of very slow shooting 1-8 on his first shots, but after that was a whole new story. Westbrook started to blow past defenders and finish at the rim, or pass it off for easy assists. His performance was one of the funnest to watch in any of the past Christmas day games. If the NBA had Christmas day MVP, Westbrook would have won it. The Thunder point guard finished with 34 points, 11 assists, and 5 steals. At halftime, Spurs coach Greg Popovich said he needed his players to start playing like Russell Westbrook, that's how well he played.
Without MVP forward Kevin Durant, Westbrook has held his own. Over the past 10 games he is averaging 31.5 PPG, 7.9 APG, and 6.0 RPG. This is MVP worthy on its own level.
OKC also received major contribution from second year big man Steven Adams. He finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. This season his role has been increased a lot. Not only has he met expectations, he has exceeded them and played amazing. He also dunked all over multiple Spurs players during the Thunder's victory.
The Spurs kept this game tight throughout the late stages though. They were led by Matt Bonner who finished with 17 points and a DUNK. Yes, Matt Bonner dunked.
The Spurs also received great games from their surrounding core, they had 6 other players scoring in double figures.
Although the Spurs kept the game close late, the Thunder closed out strong. Anthony Morrow hit multiple clutch shots in the final minutes, along with a Russell Westbrook surge, in order to close the game up. All in all, Russell Westbrook was to much to handle on Christmas day and gifted us with a spectacular performance.
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