Russell Westbrook comes up just short of NBA triple-double record in Thunder win

By Andrew Lynch
Published

We were oh-so-close to NBA history.

Russell Westbrook came up just shy of a record 42nd triple-double for the season on Wednesday night, but his clutch shooting in the final minute gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a 103-100 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

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Westbrook finished with 45 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, and he's now six assists shy of locking up a triple-double average for the 2016-17 season. Assuming he matches Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to reach that milestone, it will be hard to make a case anyone else is the MVP this season.

Yet making that argument isn't impossible. LeBron James had a huge game for the Cavaliers against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, and James Harden remains in the conversation. As we predicted a few weeks ago, one of the most-heated MVP races in recent memory will come down to the final game of the season, which is one week away.

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Westbrook and the Thunder have four games remaining. They host the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, head to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Saturday, then finish the season with a back-to-back at Minnesota and vs. Denver on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

With the win, the Thunder all but secured at least the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoff standings. Oklahoma City now trails the Clippers by just two games for the fifth seed.