In Game 1, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Portland Trail Blazers only by a margin of five points.
Game 2 was very different.
It was not a contest, especially in the second half, where the Blazers outscored the Thunder 60-40 after being tied up at the half.
MORE: Takeaways - Backcourt spurs Blazers to comfortable Game 2 win
While the Thunder were outplayed across various aspects of the game by the hosts but a disappointing performance by Russell Westbrook certainly had a lot to do with it.
In the postgame presser, the former MVP took full responsibility for the blowout loss "I got to play better and I take full responsibility for tonight's loss because the way I played was unacceptable."
In 37 minutes of action, Westbrook recorded a near triple-double of 14 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds. However, battling foul trouble early, he put up really rough numbers from an efficiency standpoint.
He shot 5-of-20 (25.0%) from the field and 1-of-6 (16.7%) from beyond the arc while committing six of the team's 16 turnovers.
Despite dismal numbers and the 0-2 series deficit, Westbrook was still positive "I'm going to be better, so, I'm not worried one bit."
The loss extended the Thunder's road playoff losing streak to 11 with their last win in an away arena coming back in Game 1 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena.
During the presser, Westbrook was asked about his mindset and his message to the team as the series shifts to Oklahoma City. This was what he had to say:
"They [Portland Trail Blazers] won their first two home games. We wanted to steal one game over the weekend but we'll stay with it. We are a great basketball team. I trust in everybody on our team to make great plays on both sides of the ball. We'll be alright. My job is to make sure I continue to lead our guys and make sure we have a chance to win a game."
Games 3 & 4 of the series will be played at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City on Saturday and Monday [IST].
