The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 154-147 in a double overtime game that included a career-high 56-point outburst from LaMarcus Aldridge and a rare 20-20 triple double from Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook finished the night with 24 points, 24 assists, and 12 rebounds. Paul George led the Thunder with 30 points. Forward Jerami Grant set a career-high with 25 points.
With the victory, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich moved into third place on the NBA all-time most wins list after passing Jerry Sloan with 1,222 career victories.
The teams combined 301 points set a season record for most points in a game. Rookie guard Derrick White added a career-high 23 points for the Spurs. The Spurs hit their first 14 three-point shots including a perfect 10-for-10 clip in the first half. Marco Belinelli went 5-for-5 from behind the arc with 19 points.
Top 3 Pops
Earlier this season, Popovich passed Pat Riley and moved into fourth place on the all-time wins list.
Top 5 NBA Career Wins
1. Don Nelson 1,335
2. Lenny Wilkins 1,332
3. Gregg Popovich 1,222
4. Jerry Sloan 1,221
5. Pat Riley 1,210
Popovich is only 113 wins away from securing the NBA record. Pops has a career record of 1,222-559 with a 68.6 percent winning percentage. At that rate, Pops should eclipse Nelson at the end of the 2021 season.
Another Triple Double for RWB
Russell Westbrook is a triple double machine. In his tenth NBA season, Westbrook is averaging a triple double with 21.3 points, 10.7 assists, and 10.8 rebounds per game. He also averaged a triple double all last season as well.
Against the Spurs, Westbrook pulled off a rare 20-20 triple double with 24 points and 24 assists. He achieved that once before. Only Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson have more 20-20s with three each.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MwMiAzysgM
The 50-Point Club
LaMarcus Aldridge became the ninth player this season to score 50 or more points. That list includes Kemba Walker, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, Klay Thompson, and James Harden on multiple occasions.
Aldridge finished the night with 56 points. He went a perfect 16-for-16 from the free throw line and dropped 20 of 30 from the field. He did not connect on any three-point shots.
“Well, he’s been a beast all year long,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “He anchors us on both ends of the floor. He’s been fantastic, and obviously he had a great night.”
Aldridge posted the third-highest total in Spurs history. David Robinson holds the record with 71 points in 1994. The legendary George “Ice Man” Gervin is second with 63 points set back in 1978.
According to the South Point Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas, the San Antonio Spurs are 60-1 odds to win the NBA championship. The OKC Thunder are 8-1 odds to win the NBA title.
