Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook scored his seventh-consecutive triple-double, matching his career-high and tying him with NBA legends Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson.
Russell Westbrook filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, 16 assists, and 15 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder (34-19) defeated the Orlando Magic (22-32) 132-122. Paul George torched the Magic for 39 points. Seven players scored double-digits.
CONSECUTIVE TRIPLE DOUBLES
Wilt Chamberlin 9
Michael Jordan 7
Oscar Robertson
Russell Westbrook 7 **
** 3-times with 7
Wilt Chamberlin holds the NBA record with nine-straight games with a triple double. Westbrook posted seven-straight triple-doubles twice in his career during the 2016-17 season.
Another Day, Another Triple-Double
Westbrook is averaging a triple double for the season with 21.4 points, 11.1 assists, and 11 rebounds per game. He is on pace to finish this season with a triple-double for a third year in a row.
During the 2016-17 season, Westbrook averaged a career-high 31.6 points and added 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game. Last season, Westbrook’s scoring dropped off to 25.4 points per game, but he still posted 10.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. In the 2015-16 season, Westbrook averaged a double-double with 23.5 points, 10.4 assists, and 7.8 rebounds.
“Oscar Robertson did it for a season, and it hadn’t happened again in 60 years,” said head coach Billy Donovan. “(Westbrook) is in the process of doing it three consecutive years, so just that is something in of itself that has not happened in the history of the game. He impacts our team in so many different ways.”
Over his ten-year career, Westbrook averages 22.9 points, 8.3 assists, and 6.9 rebounds per game. The Seattle Sonics drafted Westbrook with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Westbrook missed a triple-double on Martin Luther King Day against the New York Knicks at MSG. The Thunder beat the lowly Knicks, but Westbrook only put up 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Since then, he ran off seven triple-doubles in a row and the Thunder lost only one game.
On Deck: Thunder vs. Rockets
If Westbrook records one more triple-double, then he will pass both Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson and move into second all-time. Westbrook needs two more to tie Wilt Chamberlin and needs three more triple-doubles to secure the NBA record.
The Thunder are the #3 seed in the Western Conference. They play in the Northwest, which is the toughest division in the NBA. They trail the top-seeded Golden State Warriors by 3.5 games. The Thunder host the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Over the weekend, they head to Houston to take on red-hot James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
The Thunder are 6-1 over the last seven games in which Westbrook posted a triple-double.
“He is the reason we have had the highest (scoring) month in Thunder history,” said teammate Paul George. “I cannot say enough for the credit he deserves for our offense being at the level it is at.”
According to the South Point Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas, the Oklahoma City Thunder are 12/1 odds to win the NBA Championship.
