Former Bruin Looking to Bounce Back Late in Playoff Series

Former UCLA Bruin turned Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook has been the motivation for this Denver team all playoffs long. Not only does he bring energy to the court, but he also began the run with plus offense and stellar defense. However, in the last two games, it has been nothing of that for the UCLA product.

Thus far in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Nuggets have won two and the Thunder have won two. In the first two games of the series, Westbrook looked like he came to play, collecting 37 points in two games and averaging 26 minutes on the court.

However, once the series was split, with one game each, it seems as though Westbrook's production remained consistent in the first two games as well. In Game 3 of the semifinals, the former Bruin was only able to score 8 points, hitting three field goals and draining one from beyond the arc. His shooting percentage, however, dipped below 40%, with a 37.5% success rate.

The Nuggets did end up taking that game, though, so Westbrook's teammates were there to pick him up. He also played for 22 minutes, so it's not as though he wasn't on the court for long enough to provide some better numbers. The program looked forward, hoping that the UCLA product would pick it up in the next game.