Westbrook Goes for 45-5-5 in Consecutive Games Against Pelicans
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook accomplished a rare feat in Friday's 116-113 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, becoming the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 to record 45-plus points in consecutive games against the same team, per NBA.com/Stats.
Following Wednesday's performance of 45 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 102-91 win over New Orleans, Westbrook outdid himself Friday night, finishing with a ridiculous stat line of 48 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists in a heartbreaking loss.
In one of the more exciting NBA contests this season, the 26-year-old guard made a trio of free throws to tie the game in the final two seconds, only to watch Pelicans forward Anthony Davis drain a buzzer-beating three-point shot off an inbounds pass for the win.
While he couldn't quite lead his team to victory in a game that saw Thunder forward Kevin Durant return from a toe injury, Westbrook has been the NBA's most dominant player over the last couple of weeks. He's averaging 34.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.6 blocks over his last five games, with a .492 field-goal percentage that's well above his season-long mark of .435.
Even more impressive, Westbrook is the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to record three 40-point performances and a triple-double over a stretch of five games, per NBA.com/Stats.
He's also the first player since Chamberlain in 1963 to record 45 points, five rebounds, five assists and a field-goal percentage of 50 or better in consecutive games, per NBA.com/Stats.
Of course, with Durant now back in the fold, Westbrook will likely see his volume statistics come back down to earth, despite what we saw Friday night.
On the other hand, Sunday's nationally televised matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers figures to be the type of high-scoring affair that could lead to another huge stat line from Westbrook.
