Pretty nice little Sunday for Russell Westbrook.
First he made history by recording his 42nd triple-double of the season in the Thunder’s 106-105 win over the Nuggets, breaking Oscar Robertson’s previous record of 41, set during the 1961-62 season.
As if that weren’t enough, Westbrook also hit a cold-blooded 3-pointer nearly from halfcourt as time expired to give the Thunder the victory. Oh, and did we mention he had 50 points to go along with his 16 rebounds and 10 assists?
SPEECHLESS...#WhyNot pic.twitter.com/SCXyhCF523
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 9, 2017
Wait, one more thing -- the loss eliminated the Nuggets from playoff contention. Russ is a straight assassin. No doubt about it.
He talked about his record-setting performance after the game.
“It’s amazing, something I never could dream about as a kid,” Westbrook said. “And I’m just very thankful and blessed to be able to go out and compete at the higest level. You know, just thankful for my teammates, my coaching staff, my fans, my family. I just thank God for my blessings each and every day.
“My motto is ‘why not?’ I always stick by it. Regardless of what people say, what is possible or is not possible, I continue to think ‘why not.’ I continue to strive to be the best I can be.”
"It's amazing. It's something I never dreamed about as a kid."
— NBA (@NBA) April 9, 2017
Russell Westbrook speaks on his historic night! #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/6JlzJw96cJ
Earlier in the week, Westbrook clinched a triple-double average for the season, becoming the only other player besides Robertson to accomplish the feat. He entered Sunday’s game averaging 31.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game.
Westbrook narrowly missed a triple-double in his two previous games, falling one rebound short on Wednesday against the Grizzlies and two assists short against the Suns on Friday. He was clearly waiting for the most dramatic scenario possible to break the record.
Well played, Russ.