Triple-Double Talk: Westbrook getting tired of stat chat
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Russell Westbrook is tired of talking about triple-doubles.
Oklahoma City's do-it-all guard fell short of a triple-double for the third consecutive game Wednesday night and is beginning to get a little annoyed with all the chatter about him averaging one for the entire season.
''Honestly, people with this triple-double thing, is kind of getting on my nerves,'' he said after the Thunder were beaten by Utah. ''People think if I don't get it, it's like a big thing. When I do get it, it's a thing.
''If I get it, I get it. If I don't, I don't. It is what it is. I really don't care, not for the hundredth time. I don't care. All I care about is winning, man, honestly,'' Westbrook said before using a profanity.
Westbrook scored 27 points on 7-for-25 shooting as the Thunder lost 109-89 to the Jazz, breaking a tie between the teams atop the Northwest Division. He had six rebounds and five assists.
Before going the past three games without a triple-double, Westbrook accomplished the feat in seven straight. He is averaging 30.5 points, 10.6 assists and 10.5 rebounds per game, giving him a chance to join Oscar Robertson as the only NBA players to average a triple-double for a full season.
''When he has an off shooting night, you don't take credit for it with your defense,'' Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. ''The guys that were guarding him worked hard. And that's really all you can ask.''
