For those asking for the Russell Westbrook of last year to return you got your wish last night in the fourth quarter in the Oklahoma City Thunders comeback win over the Denver Nuggets 95-94 at the Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder had let another double-digit lead slip away and had found themselves in a 10 point hole in the fourth quarter until Westbrook took over scoring 16 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter including the go-ahead free throw in the dying seconds of the game. Westbrook finished the game with 38 points, nine rebounds and six assists along with three steals and a block. Westbrook was lethal in the fourth quarter shooting 7-of-12 at 58.2 percent from the field.

Westbrook’s teammates were fine to let him carry them over the line.

“If anyone of us has the hot hand, they got to keep going,” Paul George said. “Russ definitely had the hot hand, and we were fine, we were fine with him taking the game over.”

While Westbrook was efficient his fellow All-Stars were not. George shot 3-of-13 at 23.1 percent and a poor 1-of-6 from three-point range at 16.7 percent while Carmelo Anthony played a decoy role according to Anthony himself as he shot 33.3 percent on 2-of-6 shooting and 0-of-3 from three-point range.

After the game, Anthony spoke on him spacing for Westbrook and how his opponents are playing him.

“A lot of times, my man is not leaving me,” Anthony said. “Opposing teams, coaches’ defensive schemes is telling them to always keep a body on me…As a result of that, me being a decoy opens it up for a lot of people.”

Dakari Johnson received the starting role after Steven Adams had to sit out his second game with a concussion. Johnson helped the Thunder get off to a great first quarter scoring six points on three shots while also affecting the defensive side of the ball creating a steal that later led to a basket for himself.

Alex Abrines was the biggest contributor off the bench giving the Thunder an important 11 points on a perfect shooting night for the Spaniard as he shot 3-of-3 from three and 3-of-3 from the field. Abrines was fantastic in the third quarter as the Nuggets got hot from the field shooting 59.9 percent on 12-of-20 shots and a red-hot 5-of-10 at 50 percent from three. While the Nuggets were getting hot the Thunder was cold shooting 7-of-21 from the field at 33.3 percent and 2-of-5 from three with two makes being from Abrines.

The Nuggets were up 76-70 heading into the final quarter after a 32-18 third quarter by the Nuggets the Thunder need someone to step up and win the game for them. Westbrook answered.

Westbrook came on at the 9: 41-minute mark of the fourth quarter and took the game over after the Nuggets had pushed the lead out to 83-73 with 9:25 left on the clock. Westbrook was controlled in his take over he wasn’t just shooting threes only taking three he was controlled and he was lethal in his takeover a controlled Westbrook can be the scariest, Westbrook fans and opposition think of Westbrook as out of control and ruthless but Thunder fans know what the controlled and methodical Westbrook is capable of doing as the Nuggets fund out.

With this win over the Nuggets, the Thunder gets back to .500 on the season sitting at 15-15 they look to the Utah Jazz who are 14-17 on the season and will be in Oklahoma on Wednesday to give the Thunder a chance to go above .500.

We invite you to follow Thunder Digest on Twitter and like Thunder Digest on Facebook . Don't forget to subsribe on Youtube ! Our Podcast is on iTunes and on Stitcher . We also have a Thunder Digest Instagram account if you love fun Thunder photography!