Going head-to-head, Russell Westbrook rules as KD's return a big loss
— -- OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder finally got one on the Golden State Warriors?on Wednesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
In a game that featured games within the game, it was a 108-91 victory for the Thunder that produced multiple confrontations between former teammates? Kevin Durant and Westbrook.
"You can't let emotions seep in the business," Durant said. "You can't do that, so I think on our end, we just played our game, and they just played better than us. The emotions around the court, the emotions around the arena, around the city, I'm sure was a little higher than it was on the court. You can't let emotions seep in. We just had to play better tonight."
In his second game in Oklahoma City (8-9) since he became a member of the Warriors, Durant was showered with boos upon being introduced in the starting lineup, and he was booed every time he touched the ball.
"It seemed pretty civil compared to last year," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It was all good, and they deserved to win, and the crowd deserved to get the joy that they got out of this game."
Golden State (13-5) had not faced an atmosphere like this all season. The Thunder jumped on the Warriors from the outset and never relinquished control. They led by as many as 26 points.
Westbrook was an assist short of a triple-double, recording a game-high 34 points and 10 boards. He scored 17 of his 33 points on Stephen Curry as his primary defender.
Late in the second quarter, Westbrook denied a post entry into Durant, and the ball sailed out of bounds. Westbrook turned to the Warriors' bench and yelled, "No!" Durant pointed at Westbrook while just smiling.
Westbrook was then fouled on the other end by Draymond Green.
Green didn't like the call, and he began clapping in the vicinity of Westbrook, and the reigning MVP began clapping back at him. The two had a few words before Westbrook went to the foul line to take his shots.
In the third quarter, tempers flared even more.
