National Basketball Association

Forget triple-double — Westbrook falters with triple-stumble

Published Mar. 6, 2015 12:35 a.m. ET

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The end was inevitable ... Russell Westbrook's triple-double streak wasn't lasting the season. Hell, the odds of it reaching Michael Jordan's mark of seven straight set back in 1989 were something just short of astronomical.

So when Thursday night's Thunder-Bulls game in Chicago ended with Westbrook's stat line showing seven assists and eight rebounds, it wasn't necessarily earth-shattering news. His 43 points? Sure, those were jaw-dropping.

But it's what Westbrook did in the game's closing seconds, with the Thunder in the lead and the game on the line, that is the real story of the game (aside from the return of TNT sideline man Craig Sager).

In just three short plays, Westbrook went from eyeing a triple-double, to walking into a triple-stumble. And the Thunder walked off the United Center court 108-105 losers.

Play 1: Thunder 105, Bulls 104, 29 seconds to play

With the Thunder up a point and in possession of the ball, Oklahoma City made what would seem to be the smart play: Give the ball to Westbrook, let him work the clock, then watch him make one last play that hopefully puts the game away. The only problem is Westbrook waited until he had to shoot, giving Nikola Mirotic a chance to at least alter the point guard's shot. And that's just what Mirotic did, and in turn Westbrook's shot failed to draw iron, resulting in a shot-clock violation and giving the Bulls the ball with a chance to take the lead.

Play 2: Thunder 105, Bulls 104, 4.9 seconds to play

With any field goal enough to give the Bulls the lead and likely the victory, Chicago's biggest weapon on the floor was big man Pau Gasol. And indeed, when Mike Dunleavy inbounded the ball, he lobbed it into Gasol. Westbrook, caught between Gasol in the key and E'Twaun Moore sitting in the corner for a 3-point shot, doubled down on the Spaniard when the ball headed toward Gasol. Reading the double, Gasol kicked it out to Moore and this happened:

Play 3: Bulls 107, Thunder 105, 2.1 seconds to play

Needing a two to tie, three to win, Westbrook set up in the key, curled out to beyond the arc and ran toward Dion Waiters, who was inbounding the ball. But Westbrook caught the ball too far from the basket to have much of a chance, too close to a pair of Bulls defenders to even get a shot off, and ultimately, too close to the sideline. Before the ball could even leave his hands, Westbrook stepped out of bounds and turned over the ball — and the game.

"Just trying to get a good shot. I should have passed to Serge [Ibaka]," Westbrook told reporters after the game. "That was a bad decision on my part. He was open and I should have hit him.

"We've got to close out better. That's my job."

The Associated Press contributed to this report