Nadkarni: Blazers vs. Thunder Reached an ‘Absurd’ Level of Entertainment

The NBA Playoffs series between the Trail Blazers and Thunder just became tighter after Russell Westbrook’s 33-point outing brought Oklahoma City within one game of Portland. After two victories in the Moda Center, the action shifted to Chesapeake Energy Arena for Game 3. Despite the change in venue, the heated action between Damian Lillard and Westbrook remained the same.

The back-and-forth between the two Northwest Division rivals has caught the attention of Sports Illustrated’s Rohan Nadkarni.

The back and forth between Westbrook and Lillard has reached an absurd level of entertainment. Early in the third, Russ bullied Dame in the post, scoring and drawing an and-one, before hitting his rock-the-baby celebration and loudly proclaiming that Lillard was too small. Dame went to work after Westbrook’s theatrics. He finished the third quarter with 25 points, relentlessly attacking the rim and adding some pull-up threes. It’s not just talk and histrionics—both players are backing themselves up with buckets.

In Game 3, Westbrook narrowly outperformed a 32-point outburst from Lillard. The antics on the court between the two All-Star point guards has amplified through each game—making Sunday’s Game 4 a can’t-miss affair for even casual NBA fans.

You can read Nadkarni’s full post at Sports Illustrated.