HOUSTON – Amid trash talk and breakdowns of relationships with leather balls, there was a time Monday when a night of Thunder-Rockets didn’t feel all that different from season’s past or even last week.
Russell Westbrook was hard-charging, even more so after the final whistle of his Rockets’ 116-112 win against the Thunder. He marched back into the Thunder’s locker room, chiding Terrance Ferguson to put a shirt on underneath his windbreaker. He yelled “Steve-O” from the training room, calling out to his former big man, Steven Adams.
Westbrook was a whirlwind in shiny patent-leather pants and a sleeveless shirt. And for a moment, the Thunder locker room – which has adjusted swiftly since his trade to Houston – was swept up by his presence.
Westbrook could afford to be chummy. About 40 minutes earlier, his 21 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists helped the Rockets dispatch his former team.
“It was different obviously,” Westbrook…
