Thunder journal: Russell Westbrook faces possible one-game suspension

Unless one of Russell Westbrook's technical fouls is rescinded before Monday, the Thunder point guard will be suspended for the OKC's matchup with Miami.

In the second quarter of the Thunder’s 110-88 loss to the Warriors on Saturday, Westbrook drove to the basket with Klay Thompson guarding him. Westbrook lost and regained his dribble before pulling up for an off-balance jump shot.

Thompson swatted at the shot, missed, but still came down with the ball. Westbrook regained his balance and rushed at Thompson, bumping him with his chest under the basket. The whistle blew, and Westbrook turned to talk to official Tyler Ford. Ford made a "T" with his hands, issuing Westbrook a technical foul.

It was Westbrook’s 16th technical of the season, as long as none are rescinded. A player’s 16th technical automatically earns him a $5,000 fine and one-game suspension.

“I understand sometimes when those guys are going in there and they’re getting hit and they’re getting fouled, it’s hard,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “And these guys invest a lot into the game and they invest a lot into it. Obviously, I want Russell playing and I want him out there, but we’ll see what happens, how this all shakes out.”

The official technical foul list was last updated on March 11. Westbrook leads the league in technical fouls and has had two already rescinded this season.

Westbrook declined to answer a series of questions about Saturday’s technical — if he had any hopes of getting it rescinded, if he knew he was at 15 technicals, if he was disappointed with himself for picking up his 16th.

“Next question,” Westbrook said.

Westbrook’s technical Saturday came soon after Paul George also committed a frustration foul. The Thunder sent the Warriors to the free-throw line 22 times, and the Warriors made 17 foul shots.

Second chances

Steven Adams levitated as George’s 3-point shot bounced off the rim. Then he slammed it back down and through the hoop to the delight of the roaring Thunder fans in Chesapeake Energy Arena. That putback dunk with about five minutes left in the second quarter cut the Warriors’ lead to 51-43.

Such second-chance points were a common occurrence Saturday. Eight of the Thunder’s first 12 points came after it’s the team’s first shot of the possession. The Thunder scored 18 second-chance points in the first half. It finished the game with 24.

That reflected both well on the Thunder’s offensive rebounding and poorly on its shooting. Adams led the way on offensive rebounds, grabbing seven. But the Thunder gave him that many opportunities by shooting 32.3 percent from the floor.