Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, center, goes up for a dunk in front of Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) and guard Raul Neto (25) in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Saturday, March 11, 2017. Oklahoma City won 112-104. AP
WASHINGTON, United States — Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook moved past Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most triple doubles in an NBA season on Saturday in the Thunder’s 112-104 win over visiting Utah.
Westbrook collected his 32nd triple double of the 2016-17 campaign with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists — his third triple double against the Jazz this season.
That’s the most NBA games with double-digit totals in three or more statistical categories in more than half a century.
To match the NBA record, Westbrook has 16 games remaining this season to manage nine more triple-doubles and equal the all-time mark of 41 set by Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 campaign.
That season by Robertson, known as “The Big O” in his heyday, was also the only campaign when an NBA player averaged a triple double over an entire season.
Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists a game over 79 contests in the 1961-62 season. He narrowly missed the feat the season before as a rookie, managing 9.7 assists a game, and again in the 1963-64 campaign with 9.9 rebounds foiling his bid.
Westbrook leads the NBA with 31.9 points a game this season, ranks 12th with an average of 10.5 rebounds and ranks third in assists with 10.1 a game over 66 appearances for the Thunder (37-29).
Westbrook reached his triple double Saturday in the first few minutes of the third quarter before he was taken out with Oklahoma City leading by 20 points. CBB