Russell Westbrook Inched Closer To History During Oklahoma City’s Win Over Utah

Here’s a phrase that has been said a lot this year: Russell Westbrook got a triple-double tonight. In fact, this is the 30th time basketball fans have had the opportunity to say that after a Thunder game. This means that Oklahoma City’s star guard is on the verge of making history.

Westbrook scored 43 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists in Oklahoma City’s 109-106 win over Utah. It was his fourth triple-double in a row and second straight game with a triple-double and more than 40 points, which is insane. But on a larger scale, it’s even more insane that Westbrook has had 30 triple-doubles in a season.

That’s because he’s the third player to ever reach that mark. The only players ahead of him are Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain. Here’s how Westbrook stacked up to those two earlier this month.

Since this tweet, Westbrook has moved within one triple-double of tying Chamberlain. Barring some kind of injury that sidelines him for the rest of the year – which, please don’t get hurt, Russ – he is going to pass the Hall of Famer.

The far more interesting thing to watch is whether Westbrook can get the 12 triple-doubles he needs to surpass Robertson. The Thunder have 22 games left, and assuming Westbrook plays in all of those, he has a shot of getting to 42 triple-doubles on the year. It’ll be difficult, but with how Westbrook has played this season, he can certainly get the job done.