After much anticipation leading up to their first match-up on opposing teams, it was Kevin Durant who drew first blood over Russell Westbrook and OKC, scoring 39 points in a blowout at Oracle.
Durant went for 62% from the field in the game, including shooting 7-11 from behind the arc against the team he was drafted and had spent his entire career until this season.
Russell Westbrook was held to just 4-15 shooting in the game for Oklahoma, but did add 10 points to his scoring column from the free throw line. He also had 10 assists and 6 rebounds, but also turned the ball over 6 times, which emphasises his carelessness with the ball.
Victor Oladipo led the scoring for the Thunder in the wake of Westbrook’s under par performance, scoring 21 points, making 4 of his 6 shots from long range.
KD didn’t win the game alone, and was helped by the splash brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who scored 39 points between them. Between the three of them , they scored 78 of Golden State’s points.
There is no doubt that Westbrook will be seeking revenge against Golden State heading into their next match up later in the season. Durant controversially made a free agency switch to the team who beat OKC in seven games in the Western Conference Finals last term.
It is generally assumed that if the Thunder hadn’t blown their 3-1 lead against Golden State and went to the Finals, Kevin Durant would have opted stay in Oklahoma for the foreseeable future.
Westbrook has no intentions of leaving the Thunder himself. Westbrook was set to become a free agent in 2017, before signing a three year, $85 million extension to his contract, stating ”(there is) nowhere else I’d rather be than Oklahoma City”.
Last nights loss to Golden State gave OKC their first loss of the new season, moving their record to 4-1, the same as the Warriors. The two teams are joint with the San Antonio Spurs at the top of the Western Conference.
Westbrook is currently averaging an astonishing 34 points, 10 assists and 9.6 rebounds for the season, just shy of a triple double!
For Durant, He is averaging 30 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists through his opening 5 games with the Warriors.
Both teams will be looking to push on for a high seed in the Western Conference. Despite pundits expecting the Thunder to struggle at the beginning of the season, it looks as if their new-look roster will be challenging for a high seed in the West after all.
If the rivalry between OKC and the Warriors wasn’t strong enough already following the playoffs last season, the Durant vs Westbrook saga will continue to blow this rivalry out of proportion for quite some time.
