Russell Westbrook gave perhaps one of his most insightful quotes of the season after suffering a key 114-107 loss to their Western Conference foes New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
The reigning MVP netted his third triple-double of the season with 22 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists, but it wouldn't prove enough as the Oklahoma City Thunder let go of the rope in the second half — falling flat against a Pelicans team that saw center DeMarcus Cousins ejected for an elbow to Westbrook's head.
Cousins was tossed out with five minutes to go in the third, putting the scoring load squarely on Anthony Davis' shoulders, who delivered — hitting 18 of his 22 free-throw attempts en route to a game-high 36 points.
Russell Westbrook didn't call out any teammates by name, but got the media's attention when his usual intensity took a more serious tone.
“You can talk. Talking don’t do anything at this point,” Westbrook said, according to Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. “You got to go out and play. You can talk as much as you want to, but guys got to take personal pride and understand how important it is to go out and compete and not take it for granted. I think as players, you go out on the floor and sometimes you take it for granted and don’t realize how important it is and embracing the moment. Each individual guy has to do that every night.”
The Thunder are still experiencing growing pains and trying to mesh with each other, after each of the three key cogs has been used to being the leading scorer for their former team. After winning a season-high three games in a row, the Thunder have now lost two on the road against the San Antonio Spurs and the Pelicans. They are now slated to take on the defending champions upon returning to Chesapeake Energy Arena.
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