As Rockets go small, Westbrook grows his scoring, shooting rates

Russell Westbrook has scored 36+ points on 54%+ shooting in three straight games, matching the longest such streak in over 20 years.

One of the big benefits of the suddenly smaller lineup for the Houston Rockets is supposed to be floor spacing, which provides more opportunities for All-Star guards and former MVPs Russell Westbrook and James Harden to drive to the basket.

In particular, Westbrook is taking full advantage. In three games since the Feb. 5 trade of traditional center Clint Capela, Westbrook has scored at least 36 points in each game on 54% shooting or better from the field.

That matches the longest such streak in the NBA in over 20 years. The last player to do it for four games was Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal, who accomplished the feat way back in November 1999.

O’Neal, of course, was a 7-foot-1 big man. For Westbrook to have that type of shooting accuracy as a 6-foot-3 guard is almost unprecedented.

Prior to Tuesday’s win over Boston, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens referred to Westbrook as “like a jet engine flying into the paint.”

Westbrook and Harden then combined for 78 points on Tuesday, becoming the first pair of Rockets in franchise history to each score 35 or more points in regulation during a regular-season game.

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The increased shooting efficiency for Westbrook has come amid a dramatic change in his shot profile. In his last 10 games entering Tuesday, Westbrook’s average shot distance had dropped by more than four feet relative to his first 34 games in Houston.

In that 10-game stretch, Westbrook’s rate of shots in the paint increased from 52% to 71%, while his attempted 3-pointers fell from 23% to 5%.

Over his last 14 outings, Westbrook is averaging 34.0 points (53.0% shooting), 8.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. That makes him the NBA’s No. 2 overall scorer over that span on a per-game basis, trailing only Portland’s Damian Lillard (35.5).

Westbrook will play in his ninth All-Star Game on Sunday in Chicago, and then he and the Rockets (34-20) will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Golden State (12-42). That game will tip off at 9:30 p.m. Central, with an exclusive national broadcast on TNT.

Houston enters the All-Star break having won five of its last seven games, and it could be six if not for Bojan Bogdanovic’s stunning buzzer-beater.

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