Westbrook Sets Thunder Record with 12 Assists in 1st Half

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook set a team record for most assists in a half Sunday, dishing out 12 during the first half of a 119-94 win over the Denver Nuggets, per the Thunder's official Twitter account.

Westbrook finished the contest with 21 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds, adding just two turnovers in 27 minutes. If the game hadn't been a blowout, he might have made a run at a stat line of 30 points, 20 assists and 10 rebounds, which has only been achieved by Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson (November 1988) since 1985-86, per Basketball-Reference.com's play index.

Per the team's Twitter account, the Thunder as a whole also shared the ball like never before, setting a team record for assists in a half with 21. They added another 10 in the second half to finish with 31 for the game.

The team has hit its stride of late, winning six straight contests and eight of the last nine. The Thunder made a big move at the trade deadline in an attempt to improve their team, sending guard Reggie Jackson to the Detroit Pistons and buying out Kendrick Perkins' contract while adding center Enes Kanter, forward Steve Novak and guard D.J. Augustin.

Westbrook has been a vital part of the current streak, averaging 26.2 points, 10 assists and 8.3 rebounds over the six-game stretch. His season-long averages are also impressive, as he boasts career-high marks for points (26.1), rebounds (6.4) and steals (2.1), while his eight assists are just a bit shy of the 8.2 he recorded in 2010-11.

The Thunder struggled early in the season because of injuries to both Westbrook and Kevin Durant, but with Durant recently sidelined by foot injuries, Westbrook has proved that the team can stay afloat with just one of its two superstars.