Carmelo Anthony called him “a specimen.” Billy Donovan called him “a Hall of Famer.” He reminds six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan a lot of himself. He is the most interesting man in the world.
NBA scores 2016: Russell Westbrook is now averaging a triple-double
Westbrook officially on pace to catch Oscar Robertson as only player in history to average a triple-double.
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
But Russell Westbrook is much more than a beer salesman.
With his frenetic, smash mouth style of play, Westbrook has sold himself as the best player in the NBA. And after Oklahoma City’s Monday night win over the New York Knicks, the potential league Most Valuable Player has officially landed in a stratosphere of his own.
He doesn’t always triple-double, but when he does, he goes for gold.
Westbrook scored 27 points, snatched 18 rebounds and dished out 14 assists in his team’s 112-103 road win over the Knicks. In doing so, he is averaging a triple-double — 30.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 11.2 assists — at a later point in the year than any player in NBA history since Oscar Robertson in the 1963-64 season.
His triple-double against the Knicks was his eighth of the season, more than LeBron James (five) and James Harden (two) combined, and his third in as many games.
How is he doing this? Listed at 6’3, 200 pounds, Westbrook is the smallest player on the court most nights. But he doesn’t play small, not even close. Take a look at this play:
Westbrook attracts four defenders on the drive as the Knicks collapse the paint. He finds Enes Kanter, a normally reliable midrange shooter, at the top of the key. Westbrook is well out of bounds when Kanter shoots, but jolts back inbounds to clear both Willy Hernangomez (6’10) and Derrick Rose (6’3) for the offensive board.
Westbrook is doing things no one his size should be doing. And it’s going to be amazing to watch whether he can keep it up across an 82-game season. But there are 29 other NBA teams to pay attention to, with six other games on Monday night.
Here’s what you missed if you fell asleep early:
Kristaps Porzingis had a few dunks against OKC
Porzingis finished with 21 points and five blocks in New York’s loss to Westbrook and the Thunder, but the second-year forward still had some highlight reel moments of his own.
He had a put-back dunk here, cleaning up a missed jump shot:
He galloped the length of the floor to finish this lob from Joakim Noah:
Then he spun off rookie Domantas Sabonis for this one-hand finish, again from Noah:
All great plays, but after two consecutive losses, the Knicks (8-9) now find themselves once again below .500.
Boogie Cousins and John Wall on playing together again: ‘We talk about it all the time.’
DeMarcus Cousins put up 36 points (16-for-34 shooting), 20 rebounds, four assists, and two steals, but his Kings still fell short to the Wizards in overtime, 101-95. He and John Wall played together at Kentucky in 2009. They were knocked off by West Virginia in the Final Four that year, but the two still chat about reuniting on an NBA court.
“We talk about it all the time,” Wall said with a smile, after his Wizards defeated Cousins and the Sacramento Kings in overtime, 101-95.
Hours before the two went to dinner together, Cousins, playing coy while in a perky mood, expressed similar thoughts.
“[Do we] talk about playing with one another? Is that your question?” Cousins asked a reporter, then grinning big just like Wall, “It’s come up.”
It’s a love triangle. Eric Bledsoe, also a member of that Wildcats roster, wants the two to come to Phoenix. Boogie wants them to come to Sacramento. But it seems Washington, D.C., has the most allure of the three cities.
Monday’s five top performances
Derrick Rose: 30 points, 10-for-20 shooting, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Rose played near-perfect basketball, going shot-for-shot with his summer workout partner, Westbrook.
Terrence Ross: 22 points, 8-for-11 shooting, 3-for-5 from three
Ross scored 22 points in 23 minutes. Can’t ask for much more from your sixth man.
Bradley Beal: 31 points, 12-for-24 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Beal made seven three-pointers and led Washington to a much-needed win over Sacramento.
Goran Dragic: 27 points, 8-for-15 shooting, 17 assists; and Hassan Whiteside: 25 points, 10-for-13 shooting, 17 rebounds, 2 blocks
Miami, still recovering from Dwyane’s Wade departure, needs a reliable scorer on the wing and a go-to guy for late-game situations.
Kevin Durant: 25 points, 8-for-16 shooting, 8-for-8 free throws, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks
KD looks like he gets more comfortable playing in Oakland every day. And Golden State rattled off its 12th straight win.
Final scores
Warriors 105, Hawks 100 (Golden State of Mind recap | Peachtree Hoops recap)
Wizards 101, Kings 95 (Bullets Forever recap | Sactown Royalty recap)
Raptors 122, 76ers 95 (Raptors HQ recap | Liberty Ballers recap)
Thunder 112, Knicks 103 (Welcome to Loud City recap | Posting and Toasting recap)
Celtics 112, Heat 104 (Celtics Blog recap | Hot Hot Hoops recap)
Hornets 104, Grizzles 85 (At the Hive recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap)
Jazz 112, Timberwolves 103 (SLC Dunk recap | Canis Hoopus recap)
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