In case you forgot, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook proved once again he is an athletic freak. In a win at Orlando, Westbrook dropped 57 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and three steals for his 38th triple-double of the season. The 57 points are a record for the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history.
Westbrook dropped 19 points in the final 7:45 of Wednesday’s win, and this is no Devin Booker deal. The Thunder needed every single one of Westbrook’s points as they erased a 14-point deficit to force overtime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXymWPmQcvQ
So the MVP battle rages on.
Westbrook made history on Wednesday, but yesterday James Harden made his own history becoming the first NBA player to score and assist on 2,000 points in a single season.
The two Western Conference stars are also the only players in history to record multiple 50-point triple-doubles in a single season. Westbrook had a 51-13-10 triple-double in the second game of the season. Harden had a 51-13-13 in January and a 53-16-17 on New Year’s Eve. That last one is arguably more impressive than Westbrook’s historic triple-double despite the slightly lower scoring total.
Entire NBA from 1976-2016: Zero 50-point triple-doubles
2017 Westbrook: Two 50-point triple-doubles
2017 Harden: Two 50-point triple-doubles— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) March 30, 2017
Can you believe Westbrook didn’t even start the All-Star Game?
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s win was huge for the Thunder as they stay within a game of the Clippers for the No. 5 seed in the West as well as clinching a playoff spot. With Memphis also winning, Oklahoma City keeps its 2.5 game lead over the seventh-place Grizzlies.
