Friday NBA Roundup: OKC Loss Can't Diminish Russell Westbrook's Historic Streak

With 7:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook found himself in perfect rebounding position under the basket.

He watched as Eric Gordon fired a 25-foot pull-up triple, then elevated to grab his 10th board of the night and complete his seventh consecutive triple-double. It was by no means his most impressive moment of the eventual 102-99 loss to the Houston Rockets, but the historical significance can't be sold short. 

How many other players have ever been capable of producing a game log like this? 

Date	Opponent	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Nov. 25	@ DEN	36	11	17
Nov. 26	DET	17	13	15
Nov. 28	@ NYK	27	17	14
Nov. 30	WAS	35	14	11
Dec. 4	NOP	28	17	12
Dec. 5	@ ATL	32	13	12
Dec. 9	HOU	27	10	10

During his last seven appearances, Westbrook is averaging 28.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and 13.0 assists. Prior to Friday night, his Thunder had even won each game during the jaw-dropping streak. 

But despite tying Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson's longest triple-double runs, the point guard won't be satisfied. He didn't have his best night during the loss, and to him, that has to be more important than any statistical feats. Cue the man himself, via the Norman Transcript's Fred Katz:

Sure, he recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. But he also turned the ball over eight times—something only he and four other players have done during 2016-17—and handed in a miserable shooting performance. He connected on just eight of his 25 looks from the field, and all seven of his deep attempts failed to find their targets. 

This, it would seem, was exactly the kind of performance his critics could harp about. Maybe he really was chasing numbers instead of wins. 

Except watching the game told an entirely different story. 

Westbrook made countless plays that didn't show up in the box score. He dove for loose balls, forced tie-ups with Ryan Anderson, sacrificed his body to take charges and played without an off switch. It was the type of performance where you have to take the bad with the good, because this dynamic guard knows no other way to play. 

Plays like this undoubtedly pad his stats, giving him an extra rebound to go along with the two points he would've received by making the first attempt he forced up despite tight defense. But they also showcase his nonstop motor and willingness to put everything on the line: 

Or how about this assist? 

Westbrook is creating something out of nothing with that lob to Victor Oladipo—just one of many examples of him making life so much easier for his teammates. 

Yes, you can criticize the raw numbers while others praise the noteworthiness of his triple-double streak. Shake your head at the low shooting percentages and gaudy turnover figures, if you like. But as long as you're doing so, you must understand how important Westbrook is to the Thunder. 

Head coach Billy Donovan does, praising his superstar to NBA.com's Sekou Smith:

"

He’s going full tilt and full throttle, that’s just who he is. I don’t want to take that away from him because that’s what makes him special. I’m not so sure anybody could, because that’s just the way he’s going to play this game. So I have great admiration and respect for the fact that every night he comes out and gives everything he has physically, emotionally and mentally to the game and to his team.

"

If you need cold, hard evidence Westbrook is keeping his team afloat, we have that too. 

Without the point guard, OKC is getting outscored by a ridiculous 11.8 points per 100 possessions. No one else on the team has splits leading to anything worse than a minus-6.3 net rating (Oladipo) when off the floor. 

When he plays, the Thunder get the better of the opposition by 5.8 points per 100 possessions. And that, in a nutshell, is the definition of making a difference. 

Friday night's primary story has to be Westbrook's continued ability to record triple-doubles. We can focus on what losing to James Harden and Co. will do to his MVP resume in the coming days, weeks and months. 

But for now, enjoy the 28-year-old who has quickly become must-see television—even more so than he's been in the past. Revel in his statistical prowess and think about the thousands of NBA players who have failed to even dream about this type of prolonged excellence. And if you're going to pick at nits, do so with full knowledge of the overwhelming positives associated with his play.

It's a crying shame Westbrook's latest heroics had to come in a loss. But just imagine how much worse the deficit would have been without him. 

Don't Sleep on the Charlotte Hornets

Brock Williams-Smith/Getty Images

According to Basketball-Reference.com's simple rating system, which looks solely at point spread and strength of schedule, the Charlotte Hornets entered Friday night as the NBA's No. 10 team, trailing just the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference. 

Their average margin of victory will trend up after a 109-88 beatdown of the Orlando Magic, who haven't even been a pushover in recent outings. 

It's one thing to shut down an anemic Orlando offense, as the Hornets did from start to finish. It's another entirely to put up 109 points despite taking a foot off the gas during the fourth quarter and playing the deep reserves. Lest we forget, Orlando headed into this game with the league's top defensive rating since Nov. 14. 

Kemba Walker kept doing his darnedest to lock up an All-Star berth before we hit 2017, going for 15 points and five assists in only 25 minutes. Had a close game mandated his presence down the stretch, those numbers would've been higher; Orlando had no answer for him after an uninvolved first quarter. 

But he was by no means the only standout. 

Nicolas Batum (16 PTS, 9 REB, 7 AST) flirted with a triple-double. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist thrived in transition to finish with 16 points and seven boards. Ramon Sessions (12 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST) and Jeremy Lamb (12 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST) came off the pine to join them in double figures.

And while Cody Zeller finished with only nine points, he did provide the dunk of the night at Bismack Biyombo's expense: 

The Hornets are rolling right now, winners of six of their last eight outings. Overlook them as second-tier Eastern Conference contenders at your own peril. 

This is Still a Big 3

David Liam Kyle/Getty Images

DeMarcus Cousins. Anthony Davis. Kevin Durant. James Harden. 

And Kevin Love makes it five after his dominant showing in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 114-84 blowout of the Miami Heat. 

The members of that exclusive quintet are the only players this season to go for at least 28 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and a block during a single contest. But that's not where Love's excellence ended Friday night, since he accumulated his points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field, recorded a steal and turned the ball over just three times. 

It was a masterful showing, but it wasn't anything new. As Joe Gabriele of the Cavs' official website tweeted out, this was a continuation of his recent excellence, even if these latest numbers came in a throwback uniform: 

As you might expect, LeBron James still played high-quality basketball against his old franchise, recording 27 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Kyrie Irving dropped 23 points on 15 shots to make up for his matador-esque defense against Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson. 

But they weren't the only stars in Cleveland. They haven't been for quite some time, because Love is finally reminding the world why he makes so much money. 

Norman Powell is the Real Deal

Brian Babineau/Getty Images

It's easy to focus on the Toronto Raptors' two stars: Both Kyle Lowry (34 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL) and DeMar DeRozan (24 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST) were their typically dominant selves in a 101-94 victory over the Boston Celtics. 

But this game was about Norman Powell, who didn't just hold his own while filling in for DeMarre Carroll (held out for rest). The second-year swingman thrived against the C's, exploding on offense while serving as a pestilent presence on the preventing end, via the Raptors: 

When the final buzzer sounded, Powell had 20 points, three rebounds, two assists and five steals. He shot 7-of-10 from the field, knocked down three of his four deep attempts and went 3-of-4 at the charity stripe. Perhaps even more importantly, he helped force Jae Crowder into an atrocious shooting performance with his hounding play. 

And—as has been the case throughout his sophomore season—per NBA Math, he made the Raptors better while on the floor: 

"On the defensive end, Powell is able to utilize his freakish physical gifts to guard everything from point guards to power forwards, even though he stands just 6'4"," Joe Clarkin wrote for Hardwood Paroxysm during the offseason. "If there's ever a World’s Strongest Shooting Guard competition, I'm putting my money down on Norman Powell."

That strength has been evident whenever head coach Dwane Casey has granted Powell consistent run, and it hasn't stopped him from proving his rookie shooting was no fluke. After knocking down 40.4 percent of his triples in 2015-16, he's raised his three-point percentage to a scorching 47.2 percent.

You're looking at (potentially) the NBA's next big three-and-D standout. And following his latest showing, the Raptors have even more motivation to expedite his development and hand him a bigger slice of the available minutes.  

Who are the Real Atlanta Hawks?

Gary Dineen/Getty Images

The Atlanta Hawks' 114-110 victory, coming at the Milwaukee Bucks' expense, was a classic roller-coaster affair. 

Behind 17 first-quarter points from Dennis Schroder, the Hawks looked like a competent team during the opening 12 minutes, even if they finished that period trailing by seven. The second quarter was an abject disaster, and Atlanta retreated to the enemy locker room with a 20-point deficit. 

Within the recesses of the BMO Harris Bradley Center, head coach Mike Budenholzer must have exhorted his troops rather successfully. Instead of playing uninspired defense and clanking open jumpers off the rim, they started functioning like a playoff-caliber squad during the second half. 

Schroder found his shot again and finished with 33 points, three rebounds and four assists. Paul Millsap stuffed the stat sheet, winding up with 23 points, 14 boards, six assists, a steal and three blocks. Tim Hardaway Jr. even remembered how to shoot the basketball, highlighted by the and-1 triple you can see above. 

In many ways, this was a microcosm of the Hawks' season—two entirely different squads achieving totally different results. Atlanta looked like a fringe contender during the beginning of the campaign, thriving as it shut down most opponents. Then, everything fell apart: 

It's too early to tell whether the Hawks will surge back up the standings, just as they surged back into the lead against Milwaukee.

But on the heels of two straight wins, nothing is impossible. 

Sixth Man of the Year? 

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

Though it wasn't enough to help the Los Angeles Lakers avoid a 119-115 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns, which pushed their losing streak to five games, Lou Williams kept his team alive during the second half. 

The high-scoring guard came off the bench Friday night and allowed the Staples Center to witness his latest scoring explosion: 35 points, five rebounds and two assists while shooting 10-of-19 from the field, 6-of-12 from downtown and 9-of-11 at the charity stripe. 

According to the ESPN broadcast, Williams now has more points off the pine in a four-game stretch than any other player since 1970. As you can see below, holding him in check lately has meant preventing him from hitting the quarter-century mark: 

Game	Points	FG-FGA	3P-3PA	FT-FTA
Dec. 3 @ MEM	40	11-20 (55.0%)	4-8 (50.0%	14-14 (100.0%)
Dec. 5 vs. UTA	38	13-27 (48.1%)	4-9 (44.4%)	8-9 (88.9%)
Dec. 7 @ HOU	24	7-12 (58.3%)	2-4 (50.0%)	8-8 (100.0%)
Dec. 9 vs. PHX	35	10-19 (52.6%)	6-12 (50.0%)	9-11 (81.8%)
Average	34.3	41-78 (52.6%)	16-33 (48.5%)	39-42 (92.9%)

Williams will slow down eventually. He's now produced three of his career's five highest outputs during the last week, and that pace isn't even close to sustainable.

But while this lasts, the explosive sixth man is putting together quite a resume for award season. He's yet another bright spot during a Lakers season filled with reasons for optimism. 

Friday's Final Scores

• Charlotte Hornets 109, Orlando Magic 88
• Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Miami Heat 84
• Toronto Raptors 101, Boston Celtics 94
• Detroit Pistons 117, Minnesota Timberwolves 90
• Atlanta Hawks 114, Milwaukee Bucks 110
• Houston Rockets 102, Oklahoma City Thunder 99
• Dallas Mavericks 111, Indiana Pacers 103
• Phoenix Suns 119, Los Angeles Lakers 115
• New York Knicks 103, Sacramento Kings 100

Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.

Unless otherwise indicated, all stats from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com or NBA Math and accurate heading into games on Dec. 9.