The Utah Jazz grabbed control of their first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder by taking a 2-1 lead after a Game 3 win on Saturday night. It was an impressive victory that saw veteran point guard Ricky Rubio lead the charge posting his first career playoff triple-double, which marked the first in franchise history since Hall of Famer John Stockton.
Much of his production came off the way from reigning league MVP Russell Westbrook guarding him for much of the contest. Following the game, Westbrook had a stern message for Rubio ahead of the Monday's tilt at Vivint Smart Home Arena, according to Royce Young of ESPN.
Westbrook on Ricky Rubio getting hot from midrange: "[He got] too comfortable. But I'm gonna shut that s— off next game though. Guarantee that."
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 22, 2018
Rubio had certainly found his comfort zone against Westbrook putting up the biggest performance of his career totaling 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field along with recording 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his triple-double effort. He was most effective in his mid-range game knocking down all five of the shots that he took in the contest, which Westbrook, for the most part, eased off a bit to influence the 27-year-old to take the open looks.
The fact that he knocked each shot was a major factor in helping push the Jazz to what turned out to be a comfortable win over the Thunder is likely fueling the All-Star point guard to change that narrative in Game 4. Westbrook also had a forgettable offensive outing recording just 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting with eight turnovers in Saturday's loss.
This will also be a huge game for the Thunder to pull out a win given that it could put them in a huge hole trailing 3-1 in the first-round series that has been historically difficult to overcome. There is much riding on the line for Monday's contest, and Westbrook could be a deciding factor in his team's fate in the playoffs.
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