Russell Westbrook and Zaza Pachulia have a history. That was rekindled during the Detroit Pistons' visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder's turf Friday night. Only this time, Pachulia was on the receiving end of the physicality.
Near the seven-minute mark of the second quarter, Pachulia received an entry pass from Blake Griffin inside the paint. Pachulia, probably assuming that he was wide open, went up for a shot but was blocked from behind by Westbrook.
Unfortunately, Westbrook's block attempt had a little bit of gusto in it. The Thunder star's arms fell on Pachulia's head as the lumbering big man fell on the floor in pain. Westbrook was then assessed with a flagrant foul.
Russell Westbrook got a Flagrant 1 for this hard foul on Zaza Pachulia. pic.twitter.com/cPcR2xwHV7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 6, 2019
Not too long ago, when Pachulia was still with the Golden State Warriors, he was the team's designated hitman. In an infamous moment against the Warriors and Thunder, the Georgian center fell hard on Westbrook's leg — an act that some felt was intentional, especially given Pachulia's reputation.
When the smoke of battle cleared out, the Thunder ended up as the victors, 123-110. Westbrook had a historic night, securing for himself a triple-double average for the entire season. This marks the third straight year of Westbrook doing so, earning him a place in NBA history as the lone player to accomplish such feat.
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