:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/2316172/GYI0064142788.jpg)
One thing you are taught early is that when your teammate is down, you help pick them up. Its more than just physically picking them up, but mentally knowing that you have their back can keep a teammate encouraged.
However, what happens when 18,000 fans pick up a player who is struggling? It was a surreal scene in "The Peake" on Thursday as Russell Westbrook has come out the gates struggling mightily this season. So when Westbrook earned a 3-point play opportunity and stepped to the line, the crowd let him know that they got his back.
"I've never seen, in my 20-something years of being in the NBA, what the crowd did. They knew he was struggling. They watched our game last night. He struggled. But when he made the layup and the free throw and they were chanting his name out, that's special. This is a special place to play." - Scott Brooks
The Thunder look to go 5-0 as they host the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Game Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 31; 8 p.m. ET
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
Odds: Thunder by -11.5
TV Station: Fox Sports Oklahoma/Arizona
For more insights and analysis on the Oklahoma City Thunder, check out SB Nation blog Welcome To Loud City. For more insights and analysis on the Phoenix Suns, check out SB Nation blog Bright Side Of The Sun.