Russell Westbrook Comments on Triple-Doubles, Winning After Loss to Jazz

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook put up impressive individual statistics during Wednesday's 109-89 loss to the Utah Jazz, but he was more focused on the outcome than the numbers after the game.

"Honestly, man, people and this triple-double thing is kind of getting on my nerves," he said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. "People think if I don't get it, it's like a big thing. When I do get it, it's a thing. … All I care about is winning, man, honestly."

Westbrook finished with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists in the loss, finishing well short of a triple-double in the process.

Despite his comments on Wednesday, whether Westbrook notches a triple-double or not when he takes the floor has been one of the primary storylines in the initial portions of the 2016-17 NBA season.

Coming into Wednesday's game, he was averaging 30.7 points, 10.8 assists and 10.7 rebounds a night as the primary offensive catalyst for a Thunder team that is still in the early stages of its first season without Kevin Durant since the franchise drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2007.

While the Thunder have played just 26 games and have the majority of the schedule remaining, Westbrook is on pace to join Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season.

However, Westbrook has not recorded a triple-double in the last three games after joining some rarified company in the previous seven. He recorded seven straight triple-doubles from from Nov. 25 to Dec. 9, and Royce Young of ESPN.com said the streak tied the Thunder guard with Michael Jordan for the longest such run since 1989.

Young noted Westbrook finished just shy of Wilt Chamberlain's all-time record of nine straight triple-doubles, which the big man set in 1968.

Date	Opponent	Outcome	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Nov. 25	Denver Nuggets	132-129, Thunder	36	11	17
Nov. 26	Detroit Pistons	106-88, Thunder	17	13	15
Nov. 28	New York Knicks	112-103, Thunder	27	17	14
Nov. 30	Washington Wizards	126-115, Thunder	35	14	11
Dec. 4	New Orleans Pelicans	101-92, Thunder	28	17	12
Dec. 5	Atlanta Hawks	102-99, Thunder	32	13	12
Dec. 9	Houston Rockets	102-99, Rockets	27	10	10

Still, Westbrook is more focused on winning, and the Thunder haven't done much of that lately. They have dropped three of their last four and fell to 15-11 and the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference with Wednesday's defeat. They are struggling to generate consistent offense outside of Westbrook with guard Victor Oladipo sidelined by a wrist injury.

Westbrook was frustrated after the latest loss, especially since he is accustomed to winning. The Thunder reached the Western Conference Finals last season and in the 2013-14 campaign. He also played in the 2012 NBA Finals before ultimately losing the series to the Miami Heat.

While the UCLA product doesn't have that elusive championship ring, he and the Thunder have been a mainstay in the postseason throughout much of his career.

With Durant playing on the Warriors, Oklahoma City appears to be a team that will be fighting for one of the bottom seeds in the Western Conference playoff picture given its current positioning.

Westbrook may very well make NBA history and average a triple-double as an MVP candidate this season, but he would likely trade the individual accolades for a championship ring without a moment's hesitation.