Sunday was a big day in the NBA in terms of All-Star performances and history being made. In Denver, NBA MVP candidate Russell Westbrook was doing his thing against the Nuggets in a closely-contested game. The same could be said in Atlanta where "The King" LeBron James was trying to will his team to win after a huge Hawks' comeback. In Sacramento, another of the league's MVP candidates, James Harden, was putting on another spectacular performance as well. In fact, all three of the All-Star players and team leaders achieved triple-doubles on the same day.

All-Star triple-doubles

In Atlanta, LeBron James and the Cavaliers were trying to avenge their recent loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland held a 26-point lead heading into the fourth, but the Hawks clawed their way back into this one and sent things to overtime. Ultimately, Atlanta came away with a one-point win in the extra session. However, James achieved his 13th triple-double of the season in the losing effort. The Cavs star finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Some major excitement came miles away in Denver where the Nuggets were battling for their playoff lives. However, they ran into MVP frontrunner Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The OKC star was one assist shy of his 42nd triple-double heading into the fourth quarter and achieved it on a pass to set up a three-pointer by his teammate.

However, OKC found themselves still down late to the home team.

That wasn't a big deal for Russ, as the Thunder guard and his teammates managed to make the comeback. Down two with just two seconds left, the potential MVP award winner hit a 38 or 39-foot three-pointer to get his team the win. Westbrook finished with a mighty stat line of 50 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists.

He not only made NBA history but also eliminated Denver from any chance of getting into the playoffs.

Harden completes the trifecta

James Harden may not be averaging a triple-double this season but he's pretty close to doing so. A guy that many people feel should win the NBA MVP Award over Westbrook put up another impressive performance in Sunday's road win over the Kings.

In Sacramento, Harden finished with 35 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds in his team's 135-128 win. There are those who will contend that Harden actually achieved a rarer feat with a quadruple double. However, Harden most likely wants to forget about those 10 turnovers he logged in today's box score.

The trio of NBA stars have a few games left for their respective teams' regular season schedules. All three will be featured in the upcoming NBA playoffs. While LeBron James and his team are still trying to close out the top seed in the East, at worst they will finish second overall. Meanwhile, Harden's Rockets are the No. 3 seed and Westbrook's Thunder the No. 6 seed, meaning their two squads will go head-to-head for the fist round of the postseason. Expect more triple-doubles to follow.
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