With history in his sights, Westbrook tied Oscar Robertson's long-standing single-season National Basketball Association record and notched his 41st triple-double with a tidy 12 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.
The only downside to getting No. 41 at home last night was that Westbrook will likely break Oscar Robertson's single season triple double record on the road. The fans at Chesapeake Energy Arena began to shout "MVP" during the stoppage.
With a seventh straight triple-double, Westbrook matched his career-high streak fashioned earlier this season. For the Thunder, Russell Westbrook had an impressive 45 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds, but he didn't break the all-time record.
A triple-double is the achievement of double-digit totals in three of the five key statistical categories - points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals - and is regarded as a barometer of all-round versatility.
IN had lost four in a row to leave their post-season hopes in jeopardy and found themselves 19 points down in the first half before rallying for a crucial victory. And while there was plenty of talk about the triple-double mark, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said the win was priority.
A major portion for why the Thunder had so much offensive success was the play of Westbrook, their catalyst on both ends of the floor. However, Memphis responded to the Thunder's punches with a run of their own to keep the game within reach, in part thanks to players like Andrew Harrison, who had 12 points on the night.
"The crowd was screaming it, so yeah I heard it", Westbrook said.
It was a poor effort all around from the Bucks, as the game was really only competitive for the first quarter.
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Russell Westbrook waves to the crowd after tying Oscar Robertson's 55-year-old record for triple-doubles in a season. With five games left, Westbrook needs only 16 assists to get there, which has Fox Sports proclaiming that "as long as the MVP frontrunner doesn't fall into a coma on the court", it's in the bag.
The Grizzlies failed to score and Westbrook pulled up and buried a 3-pointer that put the Thunder ahead by four points with 14 ticks left in the game. Harden is nearly three points behind Russ in points per game and isn't even in the top 20 in rebounding. But after missing his first 3-point try on Tuesday, he sank four straight, three of them in a span of 1:03 in the second quarter.
The Milwaukee Bucks snapped a three game losing streak, riding a balanced scoring attack to a 92-74 win over the Denver Nuggets Monday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Two days later in Orlando, Westbrook scored 26 of his 57 points in just the fourth quarter and overtime. The team spotted at the seventh position with their records of 42 wins and 36 losses in this National Basketball Association season, at present.
So the triple-double watch continues, and maybe that's not a bad thing.
Westbrook, on trying to focus after tying Robertson: "I airballed a 3 right after that".
He was satisfied with the win, though, as the Thunder tightened their grip on sixth position in the Western Conference play-off rankings.
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