"I play every game like it's my last,"-Westbrook on Warriors matchup

LOS ANGELES -- The Oklahoma City Thunder are the last unbeaten team in the Western Conference after taking down the Clippers 85-83 on Wednesday to improve to 4-0.

Russell Westbrook

Awaiting the Thunder next: a trip to Oracle Arena in Oakland to take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

The upcoming matchup carries heavy amounts of hype and anticipation, with Russell Westbrook and the Thunder meeting former teammate Kevin Durant for the
first time since he joined the Warriors over the summer. Asked if there's any extra level of excitement going into Thursday's game, Westbrook said it's just another game on the schedule.

"I play every game like it's my last," Westbrook said. "I play every game the same, always. Like I've been saying for years. And regardless of who we play, I'm going to play the same way."
Thunder coach Billy Donovan offered his take on the matchup.

"It's not just Kevin. We're playing the Warriors," Donovan said. "He's part of that. That's Klay Thompson. Steph Curry. Draymond Green. It's Kevin. It's all those guys. It's their whole team we have to prepare for."

Durant was asked in an interview on Tuesday if there was any "beef" with Westbrook but downplayed any kind of animosity. After being teammates for eight years in Oklahoma City, the two have not spoken since Durant sent a text to Westbrook informing him of his decision. In the interview, Durant expressed some regret about how he handled that situation.

Asked if he saw the comments, Westbrook declined to answer.

"Like I said in Oklahoma City, I don't know if you guys know, but I'm not answering any more Kevin questions," he said. "If you want to talk about basketball, I'm more than welcome to talk about that. But other than that."

Following Durant's departure, there was expectation from many that the Thunder would drop off as a contender. Westbrook scoffed at that notion.

"Who said that?" Westbrook responded. Informed it was a lot of people, Westbrook said, "That's where they went wrong."

On Wednesday, Westbrook scored 35 points on 14 of 30 shooting and posted six rebounds, five assists and 10 turnovers in the win over the Clippers. He scored eight of the Thunder's final 11 points and set up the other three -- a 3-pointer by rookie Domantas Sabonis. Westbrook is averaging 37.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.0 assists through the first four games of the season.

Source:ESPN.com