Russell Westbrook is having another really good season, but as he creeps closer to that 16th technical he needs to be more careful with his behavior on the court. He got a good break on Thursday afternoon though when his latest technical foul that he picked up against the Portland Trail Blazers was rescinded.

Against the Blazers he picked up his 13th technical when he drove to the basketball and he thought he got fouled. He turned around and started yelling at Pat Fraher and was immediately given a technical.

The fact that Westbrook now has four technicals to work with before getting suspended is huge. The Oklahoma City Thunder currently sit in seventh place in the Western Conference standings, but they are only 1.5 games ahead of the Nuggets who sit in ninth.

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Russell Westbrook is the heart and soul of this team, and the Thunder need him for every game as they head into the stretch run of this regular season.

So far this season Westbrook is averaging 25.4 points, 10.2 assists, and 9.6 rebounds per game. Although those numbers are significantly down from last year where he averaged over 31 points per game he has also welcomed in Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, both guys who have been taking a lot of shots away from him.

Russell Westbrook

This stretch run for these guys isn't just important for this year but also for the coming years. If the Thunder do miss out on the playoffs, then that also probably means the end of the Paul George era in Oklahoma City.