Russell Westbrook was one rebound away from breaking Oscar Robertson’s single-season triple-double record on Wednesday night — just one board.
It almost felt like a downer that he wasn’t able to make history this game, but the man put up 45 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and five steals, and wait, I’m not done yet. Westbrook also scored a clutch 3-pointer to put OKC up, 101-97, with 14 seconds left, and he made the final points of the game (two free throws with less than a second remaining to seal the 103-100 victory). It’s impossible for NBA fans to be disappointed with that.
After his team’s loss, Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale had a hilarious comment about Westbrook coming up one rebound short of the triple-double record. He knows the potential MVP had one heck of a game.
While we all wait to see if Westbrook will break the record in OKC’s next game on Friday vs. the Suns in Phoenix, here are five amazing things about the Thunder guard:
1. His 45-point game means he continues to make it less and less likely that any other player will ever wear a Thunder jersey and have as many 40-point games as he has had this season
2. He tied James Harden for an NBA record
3. He’s this close to averaging a triple-double
Oscar Robertson told USA TODAY Sports’ Sam Amick that he hopes Westbrook is able to average a triple-double this season so that everyone can just call the OKC guard the “triple-double king.”
4. These tweets just show how unbelievable this season has been for Westbrook, stats-wise
5. Not only has Westbrook had a record-tying number of triple-doubles this season (so far), he has put them up in bunches like no one ever has before
Now, I know what you’re all thinking: “So, is Westbrook going to win the MVP award or what?”
Well, here’s what Robertson, the man whose record Westbrook is trying to break, had to say about that to USA TODAY Sports‘ Amick:
“I can say this without blinking, that what Russell Westbrook has done truly – even (though the Houston Rockets’ James) Harden is close to him – but what he’s done, he’s got to be the MVP of the league.”
For fun, here’s a look at Westbrook’s first-ever triple-double:
