Home/NBA

USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a shock defeat tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They arrived in OKC to find their third consecutive win, but walked away with their third loss of the season. Russell Westbrook was at the forefront of attention, but not just for good reasons.

In his fifth appearance for the Lakers, Westbrook finally got his first triple-double donning the purple and gold. He finished the game with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists. However, his stat line also featured a team-high 10 turnovers, giving him an unwanted quadruple-double.

Westbrook’s turnovers have often been one of the biggest problem of his game, and it was highlighted tonight. The rest of the Lakers combined for just seven turnovers, compared to his 10. And fans on Twitter immediately started trolling him for this embarrassing stat line. This was the sixth quadruple-double of his career, which is the most by a player since 1985.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

READ MORE: Russell Westbrook Celebrates Win vs Spurs by Fulfilling Wish of a Young Lakers Fan

Russell Westbrook fails to carry momentum from Lakers’ previous win

In their previous game against the Spurs, Westbrook showed why the Lakers traded for him. With LeBron James out of the game with injury, Russ stepped up and had a dominant 33-point game. He supported Anthony Davis perfectly, and played to his strengths, leading the Lakers to their second win of the season.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, he couldn’t carry that momentum into tonight’s game. He shot just 8-20 from the field, and went 2-8 from three-point range. He failed to step up in the clutch moments too, and what made it worse was his ejection at the end of the game.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Westbrook may have had an excellent game against the Spurs, but his inconsistency will hurt the Lakers’ campaign. They need him to play to his strengths, which is attacking the rim instead of taking unnecessary jump shots. And finally, they need him to improve his turnovers, which has been a big issue throughout his career.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The Lakers now return to action on Friday against the Cavaliers. They are another young team who will be eager to upset the championship favorites. If they have another sloppy game like tonight, they could be looking at their fourth loss of the season.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kobe Bryants Most Controversial Moments: Blame For Breaking up Lakers Dynasty, Call of Duty Commercial & Many More