Can anyone stop Russell Westbrook? That’s the question on everybody’s lips after the leading MVP candidate produced another towering performance Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Westbrook finished one rebound shy of another triple-double to lift OKC to a thrilling 103-100 victory over Memphis. He scored a game-high 45 points to lead the Thunder to their second straight win.
Westbrook will get another opportunity to break Oscar Robertson’s iconic triple-double record when the Thunder face the struggling Phoenix Suns this coming Friday. Westbrook will fancy his chances of accomplishing that historic feat as he has fared extremely well against the Suns this season. He’s averaging 41.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 13.7 assists in three meetings with Phoenix this campaign. The Thunder have excelled when Westbrook stuffs the box score, going 32-9 this season when he records a triple-double.
The Thunder are 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in their last six road games.
When it comes to tanking in the West, the Suns are definitely No. 1. With LA’s victory against San Antonio (much to the dismay of Laker fans) and Phoenix’s loss to Golden State on Wednesday, the Suns now hold the second-worst record in the NBA. How huge is that development? If the Suns are the second-worst team in the league, they will have a 55 percent chance of retaining their pick in next month’s NBA draft lottery. As it stands, they now have a 19.1 percent chance to land the No. 1 pick in the lottery. With Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball heading a deep draft class, the Suns have an excellent opportunity to grab a franchise player this coming June.
How badly does the Suns want this position? Well, they have now lost each of their last 13 games. They have not won since deciding to shut down a healthy Eric Bledsoe for the season on March 15. One positive that has come out from this losing run is the emergence of Devin Booker. The 20-year-old, who already has a 70-point game under his belt, is averaging 28.0 points over his last four games.
With Bledsoe sidelined, Booker has become a facilitator as well for the Suns, averaging 7.5 assists during that span. He scored just 17 points in Phoenix’s surprise 118-111 win over Oklahoma City last month. That victory snapped the Suns’ six-game losing skid against the Thunder.
The Suns are 0-8 SU and 3-5 ATS in their last eight home games.
