Russell Westbrook makes insane pass to Victor Oladipo in win over Raptors

Derrick Rose led NY with 22 points and Carmelo Anthony added 17, but Melo missed all six of his three-point attempts as part of a 6-of-18 shooting effort. “But for me it’s just a blessing to be able to hear that, especially on the road – fans that appreciate the game and me as a player and our team”.

“He’s a unique, unique player”, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said of Westbrook before the game. “I thought our guys competed, but credit to them”.

DeMar DeRozan’s offence kept Toronto within striking distance, but he needed help and he needed his team to make stops.

Russell Westbrook drives past the Toronto Raptors defense as he looks for an opening. The Thunder came to Brooklyn on a seven-game road winless streak, a fact Westbrook reminded his team about Tuesday morning.

More so, two of these reclamation victories have occurred away from Chesapeake Energy Arena – a sore spot for OKC – with last night’s win coming in Toronto vs. the playoff-bound Raptors.

“They are an aggressive defensive team”, he said of the Raptors. Teammate Taj Gibson was in better rebounding position, but appeared to turn so Westbrook could grab it for the 70th triple-double of his career.

During this brief, but successful, road sojourn it seemed Westbrook reached an understanding of how to perfectly distribute his considerable scoring/passing faculties to best suit his team’s needs. He went for 23 points against the Raptors, his fourth straight 20-point performance. Fans were tracking Westbrook’s triple-double quest all night.

“It was loud”, Westbrook said.

It’s not unheard-of for NY fans to show respect to opposing players, though the history of it is more pronounced at Madison Square Garden than it is at Barclays. It went from a one-point deficit to a 10-point deficit once Lopez and Lin checked back in.

OKC would lead 29-24 after one period.

“That team played with a sense of urgency”, he said of the Thunder. Westbrook is taking 24.4 shots per game.

This will be the second time this season the Thunder has squared off with Ibaka.

At intermission, the Raptors were trailing 58-48 and it could have been worse.

Following an appearance in this year’s NBA All-Star Game, Raptors’ point guard Kyle Lowry injured his right wrist in late February and is expected to be out until early April. Besides making the highlight reel as part of the Russell Westbrook Show, Cory Joseph had 11 points and six assists, a minor miracle given the circumstances.

Westbrook is having a season of seasons, attempting to become the second player in National Basketball Association history, alongside the fabled Oscar Robertson, to average a triple-double in points, assists and rebounds in the regular season.