Thunder's Westbrook Records 1st Triple-Double of Season
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook recorded his first triple-double of the season in Tuesday's 125-101 win over the Washington Wizards, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists over just 28 minutes.
Per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info), the 26-year-old Westbrook is the only player since at least the 1951-52 season (when minutes were first recorded) to have four career games in which he recorded a triple-double but did not reach the 30-minute mark.
He also now has a streak of five consecutive games with 20 or more points and 10 or more assists, something he has done on three separate occasions in his career, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).
Although Westbrook has three such streaks, no other player has accomplished the feat since Chris Paul at the beginning of the 2008-09 season, which was also Westbrook's first year in the league.
Since he entered the league, only Rajon Rondo (23) and LeBron James (22) have more triple-doubles than his 20 (per Sportsnet Stats), and it seems to be only a matter of time before Westbrook takes the lead.
With Thunder forward Kevin Durant currently sidelined by a hamstring injury, Westbrook could even pass Rondo and James within the next few weeks.
As we saw last season, Westbrook's prolific numbers often trend toward astronomical when Durant isn't around to help with the scoring load.
