Russell Westbrook completed one of the greatest regular season achievements in NBA history tonight, becoming the first player ever to average a triple-double in two straight years. He didn’t make it very suspenseful either. Safe in points and assists but needing 16 boards, Westbrook went all out for rebounds against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies, getting 10 after just 21 minutes of gameplay and reaching the mark he needed with over nine minutes to go in the third quarter. Here are a few of them, including the big one:
Westbrook’s statline was about as enjoyably lopsided as you would expect. The Thunder guard had no interest in taking shots for most of the game, and instead dished out 19 assists to go with a final total of 20 boards. He only had six points, off nine attempts from the field.
While it might be tempting to goof on Westbrook for shamelessly chasing the specific numbers he needed tonight, any concerns about stat-padding should be easily swiped away. This is an honor that anyone in the NBA would want, but it’s only Russ who holds it.