Russell Westbrook had a quadruple-double for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder but that isn’t a good thing.
Under normal circumstances, an NBA star putting up a quadruple-double would be an awesome achievement.
What Russell Westbrook did on Wednesday night against the Thunder proved that’s not always the case.
The Lakers guard did indeed post a quadruple-double — it was just not something to celebrate.
Westbrook had 20 points, 13 assists and 14 rebounds, which would be a pretty great stat line without the 10 turnovers to go with it.
Russell Westbrook turnovers killed the Lakers vs. the Thunder
From here on out, that feat should be dubbed “The Russell Westbrook.” Or, in the words of @WorldWideWob, “The Westbruple-Double.”
That’s the Westbrook experience for you. He’s outstanding in so many facets of the game, but he can also be an absolute liability.
The numbers look incredible until you look at what they cost the Lakers in the long run.
A 41-19 lead after the first quarter was wiped away over the next three quarters as the Thunder took advantage of all those turnovers and Westbrook’s 8-of-20 shooting performance. Oklahoma City ended up winning the game 122-115.
Westbrook had more turnovers than all of the other Lakers combined and more than twice as many as any other player involved in the contest.
The loss wasn’t his fault alone. Carmelo Anthony went 1-of-8 from beyond the arch. Malik Monk was 1-of-5. LeBron James didn’t play because of injury.
It should still give Lakers fans some pause. If this team wants to challenge for the NBA title, they need Westbrook to tone it down. Triple-doubles are worthless if they go quadruple because of turnovers.