Many people wondered what would happen to Russell Westbrook when Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder. What happened was that Westbrook re-signed a long-term deal with Oklahoma City and has spent the 2016-17 NBA breaking records. That continued this week when Westbrook became the first player to ever record a triple-double while remaining perfect shooting the ball.
The Russell Westbrook record
The record was set against the Philadelphia 76ers, when the Oklahoma City Thunder put up a 122-97 win. In the game, Russell Westbrook did what he has done all season long by recording a triple-double.
In this game, he finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists and only played 28 minutes in the blowout win. While the scoring numbers were a bit low for Westbrook, he didn't need to do more than that. He hit a perfect six-for-six from the floor and another six-for-six from the free throw line. No one in NBA history has ever recorded a triple-double while not missing a single shot attempted in a game until Westbrook did it. This was also the first time that Russell has ever had a perfect shooting night in his career. The triple-double itself was Westbrook's 35th of the 2016-17 NBA season.
Westbrook and the Thunder
Everyone knew that the Oklahoma City Thunder would struggle when Kevin Durant left the team.
Durant waited until most of the major free agents were gone before letting the Thunder know he was leaving, ensuring that Oklahoma City would struggle against the Golden State Warriors, the team Kevin left for. However, while the Thunder are struggling, they are still heading to the playoffs this year and Russell Westbrook is having a career-best year in the NBA.
With his 35 triple-doubles, Westbrook has more than anyone but Oscar Robinson for a single season in NBA history. He only needs six more in the next 11 games to tie Robinson and seven to sit alone at the top. He is also on pace to become the first player since Robinson to average a triple-double, with 31.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 10.4 assists a game.
