Russell Westbrook: Triple-double watch so far this season
Russell Westbrook’s numbers are looking like he will average a triple-double for the season once again.
After the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the New York Knicks on Saturday night in Carmelo Anthony‘s return to New York, the team came back and beat the Denver Nuggets at home, 95-94.
Russell Westbrook helped win the game for them at the end, breaking free and getting the game-tying layup on a fast break to make it 94-94. Then he was able to go iso and get to the hole. The result was a foul and Westbrook made the game-winning free throw to give the Thunder the win.
Yes, Carmelo Anthony only shot the ball six times, but if you look at it as Anthony only took six shots and the team still won, then that is a good sign.
Anthony will need to get more involved, but any of the Big Three can take over a game at any time. With Paul George also struggling from the field (3-for-13 shooting for eight points) somebody had to step up.
This game it was Russell Westbrook. He finished the game with 38 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
It seems like the Thunder have deemed Westbrook the late-game finisher. In a come-from-behind victory against the Memphis Grizzlies, Westbrook ended the game for the team in similar fashion where he drove to the hole and made the free throws to win the game.
Paul George said this about Westbrook after the victory:
"”For anybody, if any one of us has the hot hand, you’ve got to keep going,” George said. ”Russ definitely had the hot hand. We were fine with him taking the game over. He had the hot hand and was confident with shots and he was getting great looks. You can’t really be mad about that, the looks that he got. He got wide-open looks and layups. We’re living on his back tonight.”"
With his late-game heroics, Westbrook has been able to win games for the Thunder that they so desperately need. His stats are nothing to laugh about either.
Westbrook is averaging 23.3 points, 9.8 assists and 9.6 rebounds per game this season. While his points production is the lowest since 2013-14 when he was recovering from a knee injury the season prior, he is still affecting the game while sharing the rock with two other superstars.
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A crazy stat is the fact that Westbrook is top 20 in rebounds (No. 14) as a point guard. The only other point guards in the top 50 are Ben Simmons (9.0 per game) and Lonzo Ball (6.9 per game).
Only two players have been able to average a triple-double for the season and Westbrook is one of them. Oscar Robertson was never able to do it again. After the season he did, Westbrook is possibly about to do it again.
Last season, Westbrook had 42 triple-doubles, which is the single-season record. This year, he has 10 triple-doubles in 30 games. There are 52 games left. He may not be able to beat his record from last year, but averaging a triple-double for the season is still within reach.
The reason why this is so important is because the feat is considered so impossible to accomplish, and a Westbrook triple-double correlates with OKC’s success fairly often. Westbrook is doing the impossible and if he can do it again, then he will be in his own category.
Next: 2017-18 Week 10 NBA Power Rankings
OKC is not winning as thought before, and the Big Three has not been effective, as Paul George and Carmelo Anthony are struggling. For now, Westbrook is keeping this team afloat while chasing history once again.