Westbrook on play with Pachulia: 'Obviously it was intentional... he tried to hurt me'
Pachulia fell onto Westbrook in a questionable manner during Saturday night's game
The third matchup of the season between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors turned into a rout in the Dubs' favor, but there was still plenty to talk about after the game.
That's because of an incident in the second half involving Russell Westbrook and Zaza Pachulia. During a scramble for a rebound, Westbrook got tangled up with Nick Young, and fell to the ground. A second or so later, Pachulia also comes crashing down to the floor, and appears to possibly pause and target Westbrook's legs.
Zaza just fell hard on Russell Westbrook's legs on purpose... pic.twitter.com/BwXaCbFZgD
— Justin Jett (@JustinJett_) February 25, 2018
It certainly had people on Twitter asking questions, and even Kyrie Irving weighed in on Instagram saying the league needed to look at the play.
Now, Westbrook himself is claiming the play was intentional, and that Pachulia tried to injure him. He also said Pachulia is a dirty player.
Russell Westbrook on Zaza Pachulia falling on him, and asked if he’s a dirty player: “Yeah. For sure.” pic.twitter.com/w9ZH0AwVP1
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) February 25, 2018
Westbrook on what happened:
"Obviously it was intentional. Nobody touched him, he fell over my leg. He tried to hurt me. But hey, that's how it goes."
Westbrook on whether the NBA needs to look into it:
"[The NBA] will see it and look at it."
Westbrook on whether Pachulia is a dirty player:
"Yeah, for sure."
The Warriors big man, for his part, brushed off questions about the incident.
Zaza Pachulia on Russell Westbrook’s claim that he intentionally tried to hurt him: “No comment. That’s childish. Come on. I’m not responding to that.”
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 25, 2018
Meanwhile, Westbrook's teammate, Paul George, also alleged that the play was intentional.
"You know Zaza (Pachulia). You know his history. You know nobody pushed him," Thunder guard Paul George said. https://t.co/l5ag1gTDqT
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) February 25, 2018
With Westbrook's accusation and Pachulia's history, it seems the league will at the very least review this play.
















