‘We Ain’t Best Friends’: Damian Lillard Says There’s No Beef With Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard jawed at one another in a thrilling point guard duel Tuesday night, but according to Lillard, there’s no bad blood between two of the NBA’s leading floor generals.
Westbrook telling Dame he’s been busting that ass for years. Rematch is February 11th. pic.twitter.com/0cFnamzxu2
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 23, 2019
Westbrook also got into it with two other Blazers in the OKC Thunder’s 123-114 win against visiting Portland.
“Why not”Westbrick* 🤣🤣 #HaHa https://t.co/0YHw2VBnYm
— Jusuf Nurkić (@bosnianbeast27) January 23, 2019
Russell Westbrook says he didn’t see Evan Turner doing the rock the baby, but it doesn’t bother him: “He can rock right back to Portland.” pic.twitter.com/EeTMUwWhaf
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) January 23, 2019
Dame says there’s nothing but mutual respect between himself and Russ.
“In the past, we’ve just never talked on the court. We don’t say nothing.” That changed Tuesday when Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook jawed, heightening what has become a marquee point guard duel. https://t.co/JqdwynUon4
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) January 23, 2019
Per The Athletic:
Their matchups have brought the best out of each other. In March of 2017, Westbrook scored 58 points in Portland. And he has three triple-doubles against the Blazers, including Tuesday when he had 29 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Lillard has been a thorn in the Thunder’s side, most famously in 2014, when a late-game flurry in Oklahoma City helped cement his “Lillard Time” brand.
“Walking down the court he was like, ‘You know this is how we do (it),”’ Lillard said. “I respect you, you respect me. That’s all it was. I mean, he know. He know. He knows I’m not one of those people that …(there) ain’t no fear. I’m going to come at you the same way you come at me. And he know that. Where he come from (Los Angeles) and where I come from (Oakland), that’s regular.”
Lillard said there is no bad blood between the two point guards.
“We ain’t best friends,” Lillard said, “but I respect him and he respects me.”
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