Monday night’s blowout victory over the Chicago Bulls at home was nothing short of drama. The Thunder had the game well in hand for most of the night, but midway through the third quarter, Russell Westbrook was in the middle of a scuffle once again.
Following a whistle for a foul on the ball, Westbrook, who was in the corner, created the initial contact as he gave Bulls’ point guard Kris Dunn a shove in an effort to create separation. Dunn reacted and escalated the situation by shoving Westbrook, and in a matter of seconds, multiple players were bunched up and coaches were in the middle of things trying to break everything up.
In the process of it all, Dennis Schröder and Raymond Felton, the Thunder’s backup point guards, made their way away from the bench, yet still on the sideline, which is a one-game suspension according to NBA rule. While Schröder and Felton’s actions were essentially nothing in the middle of the scuffle, they were TECHNICALLY outside their allowed area, so they will sit in tonight’s game in Sacramento against the Kings.
Missing both backup point guards puts the Thunder in an awkward position, so expect to see Paul George getting some extended playing time with the bench as a potential primary ball handler. Besides that, Billy Donovan is going to have to get creative with lineups.
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