Russell Westbrook went to the bench with 2:40 left in the first quarter Wednesday night. The Thunder led the Grizzlies 24-23.
When Westbrook takes his rest, that’s typically time for the Thunder to go into defensive mode. Like a mother leaving her children so she can run to the store, the Thunder tells the reserves to lock the doors, don’t mess up the house and don’t let anybody in. The message is simple. Try to survive until the return.
But in the 5:55 that Westbrook sat out, the Thunder found some offense against Memphis. When Westbrook returned with 8:45 left in the second quarter, OKC had a 41-36 lead.