Fansided · Jan 10, 2020
OKC Thunder annihilate Rockets in Russell Westbrook’s return: player grades
Russell Westbrook’s return was always going to be emotional but the match was made sweeter as the OKC Thunder annihilate the Rockets. Grades offer the details.
From the tip, Chesapeake Energy Arena was lit akin to bygone playoff matches. The OKC Thunder recognizing the relevance of this game beyond Russell Westbrook‘s return fed off the crowd early jumping out to an early 20-12 lead midway through the first.
By the end of the first quarter, OKC was ahead 37-21 registering their highest-scoring opening frame this season. For a club that struggles to get off to strong starts, this felt like a precursor to what would happen over the course of the game.