Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets had to dig deep in order to come out victorious against their Texas rivals San Antonio Spurs at the Toyota Center on Monday night.
After trailing as much as 25 points, the Rockets used a strong second half to claim a 109-107 victory — which was the franchise's biggest comeback win in history.
Speaking to reporters post-match, Westbrook talked about how the team managed to claw back from the big deficit and steal the victory down the stretch, via Rockets beat writer Michael Shapiro.
“Sometimes you gotta want it more than the other team, it’s that simple. No plays, no possessions, no shots can change that,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook and company appeared to have wanted it more than the Spurs, especially in the second half when the Gregg Popovich-mentored team looked uncharacteristically complacent when they had the huge lead.
The league's best scorer James Harden was bothered by San Antonio's physical brand of defense all night long, but he still managed to produce 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
With The Beard having trouble getting it going, Westbrook assumed the role of the alpha and steered his team to victory with 31 points, 10 boards and four assists. Even while second fiddle in coach Mike D'Antoni's offense at the beginning of the season, Westbrook looks like he's learning to pick his spots and take control of the offense when defenses clamp down on Harden.
With the win, the Rockets improved to 18-9 and are now just a game behind the Denver Nuggets for fourth place in the stacked Western Conference standings.
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