Russell Westbrook’s agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, revealed on Monday that the All-Star guard is interested in joining the LA Clippers after completing a contract buyout with the Utah Jazz.

The parties finalized the buyout on the remaining $47 million left on Westbrook’s contract with the Jazz, with the team officially waiving Westbrook on Monday.

In addition to Westbrook desiring a move back to Los Angeles, this time to the Clippers, the Clippers have also taken an interest in Westbrook. Head coach Ty Lue and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank both entered into a discussion with Westbrook whereby they explained the clear role that he would play in the team. According to sources, the Clippers are looking to build a strategy around Westbrook’s playmaking and physical strength.

Westbrook had entered discussions with the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat in recent days before deciding to seek a deal with the Clippers. The nine-time All-Star decided on the Clippers due to his desire to move back to Los Angeles as well as the opportunity to play for an NBA Championship.

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Russell Westbrook is expected to take some time during the All-Star break to consider the next steps that he wants to take for his career, sources reported to ESPN on Saturday. The veteran was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Utah Jazz on deadline day last week.

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, general manager Justin Zanik, and coach Will Hardy spoke on Friday with Westbrook and his agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, stating that they welcome him into the team. They warned, however, that the team would be prioritizing playing its younger players and that no guarantees could be made with regard to Westbrook’s minutes or role in the team.

Among Westbrook’s options going forward would be a contract buyout on the remainder of his $47 million salary this season. This move would enable him to become a free agent, in which case he could sign for another team in the hope of securing more playing time. According to sources, the Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers, and Miami Heat are all options in this scenario.

By agreeing to a contract buyout by March 1, Westbrook can still be eligible to be part of a playoff roster if he chooses to go down this route. Westbrook could otherwise remain with the team and fight to earn his place in the starting lineup.

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The Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook got the 8,972nd assist of his career during his team’s 121-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. As a result, he passed Gary Payton to go 10th on the NBA’s all-time assists chart.

“If somebody had told me 15 years ago, 20 years ago that you’d be top 10 in assists, I’d look at them like they was crazy,” Westbrook exclaimed after the game. “In the NBA, never dreamt of being in this position, nor getting to the point to where I’m next to some of the greats. I’m just truly grateful and thankful for an opportunity to keep playing at the highest level and I don’t take any of that for granted.”

Finishing the evening with 17 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, Westbrook will be disappointed, however, that the Lakers slumped to a second straight loss. The Lakers went 24-27 after the defeat, putting them in 13th place on the Western Conference standings.

Coach Darvin Ham revealed that despite the loss, the team still made time to give Westbrook a round of applause after the game in recognition of his achievement.

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The “irreconcilable differences” have caused the Los Angeles Lakers’ star Russell Westbrook and his longtime agent Thad Foucher to go their separate ways. Foucher confirmed the news via a statement issued to ESPN on Friday.

In the statement, Foucher said that he believes Westbrook should play out the last year of his contract with the Lakers and embrace his role with the team. While he didn’t explicitly say Westbrook is unwilling to do this, he did state that the two disagree on the “best pathway forward,” hinting that the veteran guard might be thinking about leaving Los Angeles.

“With a possibility of a fourth trade in four years, the marketplace is telling the Lakers they must add additional value with Russell in any trade scenario. And even then, such a trade may require Russell to immediately move on from the new team via buyout,” Foucher explained. “My belief is that this type of transaction only serves to diminish Russell’s value, and his best option is to stay with the Lakers, embrace the starting role and support that Darvin Ham publicly offered.”

Russell Westbrook joined the Lakers ahead of 2021-22 as a missing piece for what the Lakers believed is a championship roster. However, Westbrook’s first year in LA was an utter disaster as the Lakers missed the playoffs, and he had his statistically worst season since his sophomore year in the NBA. Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.

Westbrook’s struggles have made him a popular choice for trade speculations. It is believed that the Lakers attempted to move on from him at various points last season but were not willing to part ways with draft compensation as an incentive for a team to take his $47 million contract.

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Washington Wizards superstar Russell Westbrook is now the sole owner of the NBA’s All-Time triple-double record. Westbrook got his 182nd career triple-double on Monday night against Atlanta Hawks, surpassing Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (181 triple-doubles).

Westbrook’s record-breaking moment came with less than nine minutes left in the Hawks game when he grabbed an uncontested rebound to get 10 for the night. He finished the contest, in which Washington lost 124-125, with 28 points, 21 assists, and 13 boards.

Previously, Westbrook became the first player since Robertson to average a triple-double in a regular season. He achieved the feat during an MVP season in 2016-17 when he also broke the record for most triple-doubles in a season with 42. The 32-year-old star would go on to average a triple-double two more times and is on track to do so in 2020-21 as well.

The closest players to Westbrook and Robertson in terms of triple-doubles are Magic Johnson with 138 and Jason Kidd with 107. The only other active player in the top five is LeBron James, who has 99 triple-doubles.

Speaking about his achievement, Westbrook called it “a blessing” and said that it’s an honor to be mentioned with the game’s greats like Robertson, Johnson, and Kidd.

“Normally I don’t like to pat myself on the back but tonight I will,” said Westbrook. “Just because I am so grateful for the ones before me and so blessed.”

Russell Westbrook’s record-breaking season wasn’t just for stats. His triple-doubles have helped Washington to turn around their season and get a chance to make the playoffs. The Wizards are currently No. 9 in the East and are set to appear in the play-in tournament.

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The Houston Rockets have granted All-Star guard Russell Westbrook his wish to leave the organization. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets traded Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in exchange for guard John Wall and a protected first-round pick.

The move comes just days after Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard told the media that the franchise doesn’t intend to trade Wall.

Wojnarowski added that the pick included in the trade has several protections through 2026, and if it doesn’t convey, the Rockets are set to receive a second-rounder in 2026 and 2027.

While the Westbrook-Wall swap might come surprising to some, the trade wasn’t entirely unexpected. The Wizards and Rockets engaged in talks several weeks ago, when it became clear that Westbrook wanted out but couldn’t come to an agreement at the time.

Reportedly, Sheppard and Rockets’ GM Rafael Stone resumed negotiations on Tuesday, and this time it was a lot more straightforward talk that concluded on a positive note.

Westbrook joined the Rockets before the 2019-20 season, teaming up with his former OKC Thunder teammate James Harden. However, his time in Houston was marked with injury struggles and the team’s inability to make an impact in the offseason.

Westbrook reportedly didn’t enjoy his time with the organization at all and concluded that he would have been better off elsewhere. He averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game in the regular season but only managed 17.9 points and 4.6 assists in the playoffs.

In Washington, Westbrook will team up with All-Star guard Bradley Beal, while also having his former Thunder coach Scott Brooks on board.

For John Wall, the move to the Rockets represents a chance for a fresh start after two years of injury struggles. Wall played his last game in late 2018 and failed to return to the court since, having dealt with a heal injury and a ruptured Achilles tendon.

The deal might end up working for both the Wizards and Rockets. The Wizards now have a team that can contend in the Eastern Conference, and bringing in Westbrook might convince Beal to commit his future to the franchise.

Rockets, on the other hand, get a player who wants to play in Houston, and this could help them in the long-term if he leaves the injury issues behind. 

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After missing out on superstar players in recent years, the New York Knicks are ready to attempt to land one again this offseason. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, one of their potential targets is Houston Rockets’ All-Star guard Russell Westbrook.

With head coach Mike D’Antoni gone, the Rockets look like they are set to make some other big changes this offseason. The chatter around the league is that this could include a roster overhaul, in which case Westbrook would be made available.

If this turns out to be the case, the Knicks will explore making a move for the 2017’s NBA MVP as they look to get back to contention. Begley adds that Westbrook himself would likely not be opposed to the move, considering that he had New York on his list of preferred destinations when Oklahoma City Thunders decided to trade him last year.

Despite the rumors, the chances of Houston moving Russell Westbrook remain slim. Although the 31-year-old guard had a slow start in 2019/20, he finished the shortened regular season on a high note and took over as the team’s most dominant force on the offense. Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists.

The only possible reason for the Rockets to move Westbrook would be his huge contract. The team is currently maxed-out cap-wise, and getting off his remaining three-year, $132 million deal would allow them bigger flexibility in retooling their squad in order to continue building around James Harden.

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Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard Russell Westbrook did not only help his team make a historic comeback in 114-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night but also continued to make his case for being one of the all-time greats.

Westbrook finished the Nets’ game with 21 points, 17 assists and 15 rebounds, getting his 108th career triple-double and surpassing Hall of Famer Jason Kidd on the All-Time triple-double list. The 30-year-old, who won the NBA MVP award in 2017, is now on the third place on the list, behind Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who has 138, and Oscar Robertson, who holds the record with 181 TDs.

History for The Brodie pic.twitter.com/hfWCtdhH1G

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2018

“My job is to see the game, read the game [and] the game will tell you what you need to do,” – said Westbrook after achieving this feat. “As a point guard, my job is to facilitate and have control of the game, and that’s what I tried to do.“

Although Westbrook was happy about his individual achievement, he was even more pleased with the effort his team put in to beat Brooklyn Nets.

OKC Thunder entered the game against the Nets as one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference, but things didn’t look all that great for them midway through the third quarter. The Thunder found themselves 23 points behind at one moment and entered the fourth quarter trailing by 18.

Then, Paul George stepped up, orchestrating a comeback with a huge performance in which he scored a personal record of 25 points in one quarter including a game-winning three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left in the game. This was most by any Thunder player since the team moved from Seattle in 2008, while the 23 points comeback was the biggest deficit OKC managed to overcome in franchise history.

“My job is to make sure that I constantly keep telling him to stay aggressive, to play his game, because he’s that type of guy, man,” – said Westbrook about George’s performance. “He can get hot. He’s a superstar in this league; and as you seen tonight, when he gets hot, he can change the game for us.“

After starting the season 0-4, Oklahoma City Thunder now finds themselves second in the Western Conference with a record of 16-7 and a real chance to make some noise in the playoffs.

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Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook has done it again! The 29-year-old entered the Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies 16 rebounds shy of averaging another triple-double in the season, and he got them in just 22 minutes on the court. With this feat, Westbrook became the first player in the NBA history to average a triple-double in two consecutive seasons. He finished the 2017-18 season averaging 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.2 assists.

Russ receives a big applause by fans in OKC for reaching his 2nd season straight averaging a triple-double! #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/P7JaQWPj2n

— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2018

In the Thunder’s final two games, against the Miami Heat and the Grizzlies, Westbrook needed to get 34 rebounds in order to average another triple-double through the season. After he grabbed 18 boards in the win against the Heat, there was no doubt that he will get what he needs in the last game of the 2017-18 regular season. Interesting thing was that Westbrook didn’t have a triple-double in the game against the Grizzlies since he ended up with 20 rebounds, 19 assists, and only 6 points.

“I’m very, very thankful and blessed to go out and compete,” – said Westbrook after the game. “Like I’ve said many, many times, I don’t take this game for granted, I don’t take going on the floor competing for granted, and God got something planned for me, man, nobody can stop it, and I always continue to follow his faith and stay faithful and stay strong and continue to do what I’m doing.“

In the 2016-17 season, during his MVP campaign, Russell Westbrook became only the second player in the history of the NBA to average a triple-double after Oscar Robertson did it in 1961–62 (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists). Russell Westbrook also broke Robertson’s record for most triple-doubles in a season (41) by getting 42 of them.

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Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook is continuing to show why he is one of the best players in today’s NBA. With a triple-double in Tuesday’s 119-107 win against the Atlanta Hawks, Westbrook became just the fourth player in the history of NBA to reach 100 career triple-doubles. In the game against the Hawks, Westbrook had 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Now the 29-year-old is in the company of NBA legends Oscar Robinson (181 career triple-doubles), Magic Johnson (138 career triple-doubles) and Jason Kidd (107 career triple-doubles). Westbrook reached the mark playing in 736 NBA games, which makes him the third fastest to do so. Robinson needed only 277 games to reach 100 triple-doubles, while Johnson got his in 656th game.

”Oh man, just an unbelievable blessing,” – said Westbrook on Tuesday night. ‘‘I give thanks to the man above just for allowing me to go out and play the game I love each and every night. I never take it for granted. The group of guys that’s ahead are Hall of Famers,” Westbrook said. ”I’m just happy to be a part of the crew with those guys.”

This achievement of Russell Westbrook is even bigger when put in a proper perspective. For example, Westbrook has more triple-doubles than 23 NBA franchises have in their entire history. Also, he managed to post a triple-double against all 29 other teams, something that no player managed to do. Finally, his triple-doubles aren’t just stat stuffing as some would argue, but also translate to wins. Thunder have an 82-18 record when Westbrook has a triple-double.

“Just to be in the presence of that, of him, to do what he does on a nightly basis, night in and night out,” – said his teammate Carmelo Anthony. “The focus you have to have, the intensity level you have to play with. For me to be able to be a part of that, to be alongside him, like I said, it’s a special moment. I think it’s something that we should all appreciate, moments like this and appreciate what we have and who we have, especially in a moment like we are in right now.“

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Russell Westbrook’s agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, revealed on Monday that the All-Star guard is interested in joining the LA Clippers after completing a contract buyout with the Utah Jazz.

The parties finalized the buyout on the remaining $47 million left on Westbrook’s contract with the Jazz, with the team officially waiving Westbrook on Monday.

In addition to Westbrook desiring a move back to Los Angeles, this time to the Clippers, the Clippers have also taken an interest in Westbrook. Head coach Ty Lue and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank both entered into a discussion with Westbrook whereby they explained the clear role that he would play in the team. According to sources, the Clippers are looking to build a strategy around Westbrook’s playmaking and physical strength.

Westbrook had entered discussions with the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat in recent days before deciding to seek a deal with the Clippers. The nine-time All-Star decided on the Clippers due to his desire to move back to Los Angeles as well as the opportunity to play for an NBA Championship.

The post Westbrook Wants to Sign for Clippers, Says Agent appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Russell Westbrook is expected to take some time during the All-Star break to consider the next steps that he wants to take for his career, sources reported to ESPN on Saturday. The veteran was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Utah Jazz on deadline day last week.

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, general manager Justin Zanik, and coach Will Hardy spoke on Friday with Westbrook and his agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, stating that they welcome him into the team. They warned, however, that the team would be prioritizing playing its younger players and that no guarantees could be made with regard to Westbrook’s minutes or role in the team.

Among Westbrook’s options going forward would be a contract buyout on the remainder of his $47 million salary this season. This move would enable him to become a free agent, in which case he could sign for another team in the hope of securing more playing time. According to sources, the Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers, and Miami Heat are all options in this scenario.

By agreeing to a contract buyout by March 1, Westbrook can still be eligible to be part of a playoff roster if he chooses to go down this route. Westbrook could otherwise remain with the team and fight to earn his place in the starting lineup.

The post Russell Westbrook Considers Future Following Jazz Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook got the 8,972nd assist of his career during his team’s 121-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. As a result, he passed Gary Payton to go 10th on the NBA’s all-time assists chart.

“If somebody had told me 15 years ago, 20 years ago that you’d be top 10 in assists, I’d look at them like they was crazy,” Westbrook exclaimed after the game. “In the NBA, never dreamt of being in this position, nor getting to the point to where I’m next to some of the greats. I’m just truly grateful and thankful for an opportunity to keep playing at the highest level and I don’t take any of that for granted.”

Finishing the evening with 17 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, Westbrook will be disappointed, however, that the Lakers slumped to a second straight loss. The Lakers went 24-27 after the defeat, putting them in 13th place on the Western Conference standings.

Coach Darvin Ham revealed that despite the loss, the team still made time to give Westbrook a round of applause after the game in recognition of his achievement.

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The “irreconcilable differences” have caused the Los Angeles Lakers’ star Russell Westbrook and his longtime agent Thad Foucher to go their separate ways. Foucher confirmed the news via a statement issued to ESPN on Friday.

In the statement, Foucher said that he believes Westbrook should play out the last year of his contract with the Lakers and embrace his role with the team. While he didn’t explicitly say Westbrook is unwilling to do this, he did state that the two disagree on the “best pathway forward,” hinting that the veteran guard might be thinking about leaving Los Angeles.

“With a possibility of a fourth trade in four years, the marketplace is telling the Lakers they must add additional value with Russell in any trade scenario. And even then, such a trade may require Russell to immediately move on from the new team via buyout,” Foucher explained. “My belief is that this type of transaction only serves to diminish Russell’s value, and his best option is to stay with the Lakers, embrace the starting role and support that Darvin Ham publicly offered.”

Russell Westbrook joined the Lakers ahead of 2021-22 as a missing piece for what the Lakers believed is a championship roster. However, Westbrook’s first year in LA was an utter disaster as the Lakers missed the playoffs, and he had his statistically worst season since his sophomore year in the NBA. Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.

Westbrook’s struggles have made him a popular choice for trade speculations. It is believed that the Lakers attempted to move on from him at various points last season but were not willing to part ways with draft compensation as an incentive for a team to take his $47 million contract.

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Washington Wizards superstar Russell Westbrook is now the sole owner of the NBA’s All-Time triple-double record. Westbrook got his 182nd career triple-double on Monday night against Atlanta Hawks, surpassing Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (181 triple-doubles).

Westbrook’s record-breaking moment came with less than nine minutes left in the Hawks game when he grabbed an uncontested rebound to get 10 for the night. He finished the contest, in which Washington lost 124-125, with 28 points, 21 assists, and 13 boards.

Previously, Westbrook became the first player since Robertson to average a triple-double in a regular season. He achieved the feat during an MVP season in 2016-17 when he also broke the record for most triple-doubles in a season with 42. The 32-year-old star would go on to average a triple-double two more times and is on track to do so in 2020-21 as well.

The closest players to Westbrook and Robertson in terms of triple-doubles are Magic Johnson with 138 and Jason Kidd with 107. The only other active player in the top five is LeBron James, who has 99 triple-doubles.

Speaking about his achievement, Westbrook called it “a blessing” and said that it’s an honor to be mentioned with the game’s greats like Robertson, Johnson, and Kidd.

“Normally I don’t like to pat myself on the back but tonight I will,” said Westbrook. “Just because I am so grateful for the ones before me and so blessed.”

Russell Westbrook’s record-breaking season wasn’t just for stats. His triple-doubles have helped Washington to turn around their season and get a chance to make the playoffs. The Wizards are currently No. 9 in the East and are set to appear in the play-in tournament.

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The Houston Rockets have granted All-Star guard Russell Westbrook his wish to leave the organization. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets traded Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in exchange for guard John Wall and a protected first-round pick.

The move comes just days after Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard told the media that the franchise doesn’t intend to trade Wall.

Wojnarowski added that the pick included in the trade has several protections through 2026, and if it doesn’t convey, the Rockets are set to receive a second-rounder in 2026 and 2027.

While the Westbrook-Wall swap might come surprising to some, the trade wasn’t entirely unexpected. The Wizards and Rockets engaged in talks several weeks ago, when it became clear that Westbrook wanted out but couldn’t come to an agreement at the time.

Reportedly, Sheppard and Rockets’ GM Rafael Stone resumed negotiations on Tuesday, and this time it was a lot more straightforward talk that concluded on a positive note.

Westbrook joined the Rockets before the 2019-20 season, teaming up with his former OKC Thunder teammate James Harden. However, his time in Houston was marked with injury struggles and the team’s inability to make an impact in the offseason.

Westbrook reportedly didn’t enjoy his time with the organization at all and concluded that he would have been better off elsewhere. He averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game in the regular season but only managed 17.9 points and 4.6 assists in the playoffs.

In Washington, Westbrook will team up with All-Star guard Bradley Beal, while also having his former Thunder coach Scott Brooks on board.

For John Wall, the move to the Rockets represents a chance for a fresh start after two years of injury struggles. Wall played his last game in late 2018 and failed to return to the court since, having dealt with a heal injury and a ruptured Achilles tendon.

The deal might end up working for both the Wizards and Rockets. The Wizards now have a team that can contend in the Eastern Conference, and bringing in Westbrook might convince Beal to commit his future to the franchise.

Rockets, on the other hand, get a player who wants to play in Houston, and this could help them in the long-term if he leaves the injury issues behind. 

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After missing out on superstar players in recent years, the New York Knicks are ready to attempt to land one again this offseason. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, one of their potential targets is Houston Rockets’ All-Star guard Russell Westbrook.

With head coach Mike D’Antoni gone, the Rockets look like they are set to make some other big changes this offseason. The chatter around the league is that this could include a roster overhaul, in which case Westbrook would be made available.

If this turns out to be the case, the Knicks will explore making a move for the 2017’s NBA MVP as they look to get back to contention. Begley adds that Westbrook himself would likely not be opposed to the move, considering that he had New York on his list of preferred destinations when Oklahoma City Thunders decided to trade him last year.

Despite the rumors, the chances of Houston moving Russell Westbrook remain slim. Although the 31-year-old guard had a slow start in 2019/20, he finished the shortened regular season on a high note and took over as the team’s most dominant force on the offense. Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists.

The only possible reason for the Rockets to move Westbrook would be his huge contract. The team is currently maxed-out cap-wise, and getting off his remaining three-year, $132 million deal would allow them bigger flexibility in retooling their squad in order to continue building around James Harden.

The post Knicks Would Consider trading for Russell Westbrook if He’s Available appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard Russell Westbrook did not only help his team make a historic comeback in 114-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night but also continued to make his case for being one of the all-time greats.

Westbrook finished the Nets’ game with 21 points, 17 assists and 15 rebounds, getting his 108th career triple-double and surpassing Hall of Famer Jason Kidd on the All-Time triple-double list. The 30-year-old, who won the NBA MVP award in 2017, is now on the third place on the list, behind Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who has 138, and Oscar Robertson, who holds the record with 181 TDs.

History for The Brodie pic.twitter.com/hfWCtdhH1G

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2018

“My job is to see the game, read the game [and] the game will tell you what you need to do,” – said Westbrook after achieving this feat. “As a point guard, my job is to facilitate and have control of the game, and that’s what I tried to do.“

Although Westbrook was happy about his individual achievement, he was even more pleased with the effort his team put in to beat Brooklyn Nets.

OKC Thunder entered the game against the Nets as one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference, but things didn’t look all that great for them midway through the third quarter. The Thunder found themselves 23 points behind at one moment and entered the fourth quarter trailing by 18.

Then, Paul George stepped up, orchestrating a comeback with a huge performance in which he scored a personal record of 25 points in one quarter including a game-winning three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left in the game. This was most by any Thunder player since the team moved from Seattle in 2008, while the 23 points comeback was the biggest deficit OKC managed to overcome in franchise history.

“My job is to make sure that I constantly keep telling him to stay aggressive, to play his game, because he’s that type of guy, man,” – said Westbrook about George’s performance. “He can get hot. He’s a superstar in this league; and as you seen tonight, when he gets hot, he can change the game for us.“

After starting the season 0-4, Oklahoma City Thunder now finds themselves second in the Western Conference with a record of 16-7 and a real chance to make some noise in the playoffs.

The post Russell Westbrook Passes Jason Kidd on All-Time Triple-Double List appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook has done it again! The 29-year-old entered the Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies 16 rebounds shy of averaging another triple-double in the season, and he got them in just 22 minutes on the court. With this feat, Westbrook became the first player in the NBA history to average a triple-double in two consecutive seasons. He finished the 2017-18 season averaging 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.2 assists.

Russ receives a big applause by fans in OKC for reaching his 2nd season straight averaging a triple-double! #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/P7JaQWPj2n

— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2018

In the Thunder’s final two games, against the Miami Heat and the Grizzlies, Westbrook needed to get 34 rebounds in order to average another triple-double through the season. After he grabbed 18 boards in the win against the Heat, there was no doubt that he will get what he needs in the last game of the 2017-18 regular season. Interesting thing was that Westbrook didn’t have a triple-double in the game against the Grizzlies since he ended up with 20 rebounds, 19 assists, and only 6 points.

“I’m very, very thankful and blessed to go out and compete,” – said Westbrook after the game. “Like I’ve said many, many times, I don’t take this game for granted, I don’t take going on the floor competing for granted, and God got something planned for me, man, nobody can stop it, and I always continue to follow his faith and stay faithful and stay strong and continue to do what I’m doing.“

In the 2016-17 season, during his MVP campaign, Russell Westbrook became only the second player in the history of the NBA to average a triple-double after Oscar Robertson did it in 1961–62 (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists). Russell Westbrook also broke Robertson’s record for most triple-doubles in a season (41) by getting 42 of them.

The post Thunder’s Russell Westbrook Averages a Triple-Double for a Second Consecutive Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook is continuing to show why he is one of the best players in today’s NBA. With a triple-double in Tuesday’s 119-107 win against the Atlanta Hawks, Westbrook became just the fourth player in the history of NBA to reach 100 career triple-doubles. In the game against the Hawks, Westbrook had 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Now the 29-year-old is in the company of NBA legends Oscar Robinson (181 career triple-doubles), Magic Johnson (138 career triple-doubles) and Jason Kidd (107 career triple-doubles). Westbrook reached the mark playing in 736 NBA games, which makes him the third fastest to do so. Robinson needed only 277 games to reach 100 triple-doubles, while Johnson got his in 656th game.

”Oh man, just an unbelievable blessing,” – said Westbrook on Tuesday night. ‘‘I give thanks to the man above just for allowing me to go out and play the game I love each and every night. I never take it for granted. The group of guys that’s ahead are Hall of Famers,” Westbrook said. ”I’m just happy to be a part of the crew with those guys.”

This achievement of Russell Westbrook is even bigger when put in a proper perspective. For example, Westbrook has more triple-doubles than 23 NBA franchises have in their entire history. Also, he managed to post a triple-double against all 29 other teams, something that no player managed to do. Finally, his triple-doubles aren’t just stat stuffing as some would argue, but also translate to wins. Thunder have an 82-18 record when Westbrook has a triple-double.

“Just to be in the presence of that, of him, to do what he does on a nightly basis, night in and night out,” – said his teammate Carmelo Anthony. “The focus you have to have, the intensity level you have to play with. For me to be able to be a part of that, to be alongside him, like I said, it’s a special moment. I think it’s something that we should all appreciate, moments like this and appreciate what we have and who we have, especially in a moment like we are in right now.“

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