James Harden is a huge Russell Westbrook fan, but knows that his former teammate is carrying a massive load.
Harden accurately referred to OKC as a “one-man show” ahead of their Wednesday night showdown.
Westbrook is putting up surreal numbers—32.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game—but the Thunder are 6-5 and have lost four in a row.
Per The Oklahoman:
Taking over as the point guard in Mike D’Antoni’s offense this season, Harden’s been brilliant but even more so in the first half. Harden ranks second in the NBA in first-half points (15.7), first in assists (7.3) and fifth in 3-point shooting percentage (44.4).
What could quell Harden’s impact is better offense from the Thunder. Russell Westbrook has been every bit as outstanding as Harden this season, but in its last two losses to Orlando and Detroit, the Thunder’s reserves struggled with Westbrook on the bench. In those games, OKC was outscored 18-8 in seven second-quarter minutes without Westbrook.
“It’s Russ. It’s Russ, and it’s a one-man show,” Harden said Tuesday about how different the Thunder is without Kevin Durant.
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