The Houston Rockets got their faces beaten black and blue by the Oklahoma City Thunder as they went down, 113-92. However, James Harden saw his fteammate Russell Westbrook have a fantastic night in his return to Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Westbrook, who spent eleven seasons with the Thunder before being traded to the Rockets in the offseason, had an impressive stat line of 34 points, two rebounds, and five assists in 34 minutes of play. He was easily the main reason why the Rockets didn’t lose by at least 30 points.
He saw how the Thunder organization welcomed their superstar back for his first game in a different jersey. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon recorded The Beard’s thoughts on the warm welcome OKC fans gave the Rockets star who stayed when he and Kevin Durant left.
“That was dope. Obviously we got smacked, but it was a dope environment. Oklahoma City, as usual, showed mad love to Russell and everything he’s done for those 11 years he was here. Obviously, an unbelievable fan base, and it was just a beautiful thing to see.”
Westbrook was a beloved figure who was a triple-double machine during the latter years of his time with the franchise. Through his 11 years, he averaged 23 points, 7 assists, 8.3 assists, and 1.7 steals on 43% shooting. He wasn’t able to bring the Thunder to a Finals appearance aside from their 2011 run when Harden was still growing his now-famous beard.
Now that he’s in the Rockets, his chances of winning an NBA title is higher than ever. However, the entire Rockets roster has to perform better than they currently playing are at the moment.
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