It's hard to disagree with Paul George after last night.

Russell Westbrook lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-117 win over the Atlanta Hawks Friday night after drilling a 3-pointer with under two seconds left in the game. It capped off a 30-point, 15-assist night for the reigning MVP and had all of his teammates buzzing about his prowess afterward.

“Russ is our leader. Russ is one of our leaders…russ is as good as anybody when it’s closing time,” George said, via Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript.

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George isn't wrong, especially when it comes to the last two seasons. Westbrook famously rescued the Thunder on numerous occasions last season posting the best clutch time statistics of his career in his first year without Kevin Durant.

This year's team entered a new phase with the additions of George and Carmelo Anthony. There has been a certain learning curve for the new group but one thing that appears to be clearly emerging is Westbrook's Alpha Dog status. George makes that clear here as well referring to Westbrook as “our leader.”

The Thunder have been through some tough stretches this season and need to turn it around. More play like this from Westbrook could be just the antidote they need.