Westbrook vows to be better after 'unacceptable' Game 2 performance
The Oklahoma City Thunder are halfway to being eliminated in the first round for the third consecutive season after losing 114-94 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook couldn't buy a bucket in Game 2, finishing with 14 points on 5-20 shooting, but accepted blame for the loss while promising to bounce back.
"Starting with myself, I've got to play better," Westbrook said postgame, according to ESPN's Royce White. "And tonight, the loss, I'm going to take full responsibility for tonight. Because the way I played was unacceptable. I'm going to be better, so I'm not worried one bit. My job is to make sure I continue to come out and will and lead our guys and make sure we have a chance to win the game."
Westbrook's performance continued his playoff struggles, as he's shot just 38.9 percent on 26.9 shots per game over his last 13 postseason appearances. Oklahoma City has won just three playoff contests since Kevin Durant left to join the Golden State Warriors before the 2016-17 campaign.
Meanwhile, the Blazers received a combined 62 points from guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard in the Game 2 win.
Westbrook's rivalry with Lillard has been the talk of the series thus far, especially after the former was seen telling his Blazers counterpart, "I've been busting that a-- for years" during a win over Portland in January.
Lillard has since averaged 35.3 points on 46.7 percent shooting in four games against Oklahoma City.