Russell Westbrook vowed to put the clamps on Ricky Rubio after the latter outstaged him in Game 3 of the series, as the Spaniard notched a triple-double while the triple-double king felt short of the mark.

The reigning MVP seemed determined to honor his promise in Game 4, but his effort proved futile, picking up four fouls in the first half, which would limit his aggression for the remainder of the game.

Asked of his guarantee after suffering a third straight loss to the Utah Jazz, Westbrook deflected, this time around not willing to make the matter personal like he did after Game 3.

“It’s not about me or him,” said Westbrook, according to Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News. “Let’s get past that. We’re done with that.”

The facts are simple — Westbrook made this matchup with Rubio a personal vendetta due to his competitive nature, but by doing so, he went overboard in hopes to prove his point.

Westbrook made this about himself, while Rubio was happy making this situation about the team, focused on his assignment, but not obsessed with it enough to put his team in jeopardy.

As a result, the Thunder wasted a 32-point performance by Paul George and wound up down 3-1 in the series.

Involuntarily, Westbrook lost the one-on-one matchup again, despite racking up 23 points and 14 rebounds — turning the ball over five times and shooting 7-of-18 from the floor — yet to reach past the 40 percent mark in the series.

Rubio collected 13 points, six rebounds, and eight assists as the Jazz had six players in double figures, including all of their starters.