Playoff Ricky Rubio just had a monster triple-double in Game 3

With just a few seconds left in the third quarter, Joe Ingles missed a wide open three. Rudy Gobert darted over to grab the rebound, and with the clock winding down, he found Ricky Rubio at the top of the key. Rubio took a step over, elevated off one foot and released the ball just before the buzzer sounded. It was cash, just like everything else he touched.

It was that kind of night for Rubio, who finished Utah’s 115-102 Game 3 win over OKC with 26 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds to give the Jazz a 2-1 series lead over the favored Thunder. It’s a stat line we’ve rarely seen from the Spanish guard who was maligned much of his time in Minnesota before stepping onto a springboard when he was traded to the Jazz over the summer. It’s also one we’ve rarely seen in Utah history.

Only two other Jazz players have ever recorded a triple-double in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Info. One, of course, was John Stockton in 2001. The other? Rickey Green in 1984.

Rubio was the difference for the Jazz all game long. He outplayed Russell Westbrook — the reigning league MVP — and had his paws on every aspect of Utah’s critical playoff victory. Rubio shot 9-of-18 from the field. Utah outscored OKC by 22 with its floor general on the court.

He had to know it was his night when he his this step back three in transition:

He also worked the Thunder to death with a one-footed side-step jump shot he seems to have perfected from close range:

And then of course, there were his dimes, which never stopped.

Donovan Mitchell was incredible in the first two games of the series. After all, he outscored Michael Jordan for most points scored by a rookie in his first two playoff games. But the Jazz knew the Thunder weren’t going to lay down.

Utah got big nights across the board. Mitchell turned in 22 points, and Joe Ingles hit five threes for 21 of his own. Rudy Gobert poured in 18 points and 12 rebounds. But it was Rubio’s time to shine on Sunday.

There’s no telling if we’ll ever see another performance like that from the Spanish point guard. It was only the fifth triple-double of his career and his first in the playoffs.

But what we do know is that Sunday night belonged to Ricky Rubio. And if he gets his hands on another game like this, OKC could be in deep trouble.