NBA World Reacts To Russell Westbrook’s Milestone Performance
Russell Westbrook has been one of the most heavily scrutinized players in basketball this season, but on Monday night he silenced doubters with another historic performance.
Westbrook put together a stat line that had only been seen twice in NBA history in the Washington Wizards game against the Indiana Pacers. Although he took just eight shots, the 32-year-old point guard tallied 14 points, 21 rebounds and 24 assists.
Westbrook’s performance on Monday was just the third time that an NBA player had recorded 20+ rebounds and 20+ assists in the same game. The first occurred in 1968, courtesy of Wilt Chamberlain. The second also came from Westbrook in 2019.
With yet another triple-double, Westbrook now needs just four more to surpass Oscar Robertson’s all-time record of 181. With a handful of Wizards games remaining, it’s possible that he might be able to do so this season.
However, on Monday night, the NBA world focused on celebrating another incredible Westbrook performance on social media.
An epic performance by Russell Westbrook!
Career high 21 rebounds and tied his career high and our franchise record with 24 assists.#WizPacers | @CapitalOne pic.twitter.com/kNRUD5QsQv
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) May 4, 2021
Scott Brooks says he thinks Russell Westbrook is the second-best point guard ever behind Magic Johnson: “Point guards don’t do what he does."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 4, 2021
Westbrook's teams move to 134-44 when he triple-doubles … for a winning percentage of .753.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 4, 2021
Full list of players with 20-rebound, 20-assist performances in NBA history, per @ESPNStatsInfo:
Russell Westbrook (twice)
Wilt Chamberlain— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 4, 2021
Not only did Westbrook make history on Monday, but he helped lead the Wizards to an important late-season victory. Washington scored 82 points in the first half on their way to a 154-141 win over the Pacers. The victory solidified the Wizards hold on the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference with just seven games to play.
After a slow start this season, Westbrook has been a major reason for Washington’s meteoric rise in the standings. The Wizards have won 13 of their last 16 behind the play of their veteran point guard and 2020 All Star Bradley Beal.
Westbrook was averaging 21.9 points, a league-high 11.0 assists and 11.2 rebounds headed into Monday’s game. His performance against the Pacers assured that he’ll average a triple double for a full season for the fourth time in his career.
Although the individual accolades are outstanding, Westbrook will look to brush off his doubters in the postseason. The Wizards may have a long run in front of them just to get into the first round, but with their star point guard playing at this high level, it’s difficult to count them out against any other team in the Eastern Conference.
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