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Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook has never been known to shy away from a trash-talk war. He won't be the one to start them, but he will sure end them.
He engaged in a war of words with Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns on Tuesday night, looking to bury the All-Star big man in his proverbial grave, though to no avail.
Jon Krawczynski, the Timberwolves' beat writer for The Athletic, chronicled what took place in a surging 131-120 Wolves win over the Thunder, who are now in a three-way tie for third place.
“The fire inside Westbrook is always burning, and the last thing anyone wants to do is turn up the temperature on a maniacal competitor who can turn a game around by himself, so [head coach Ryan] Saunders pleaded with Towns and Saric to turn it down a notch, even as Westbrook berated them both.
‘Get to the f**king playoffs before you speak to me,' Westbrook barked.”
Towns was in the playoffs last season, albeit going out after a 4-1 series loss to the top-seeded Houston Rockets.
Westbrook didn't fare much better, as the Thunder were upset by the Utah Jazz 4-2 and went out in the first round as well.
The Timberwolves wound up on top after Towns finished with a monster line of 41 points and 14 rebounds, though it is likely the Thunder will get the last laugh by locking a spot in the Western Conference playoffs while the Wolves are still 5.5 games back of the eighth spot.
