Russell Westbrook triple-doubles his way into Phoenix, looks to make history vs. Suns
Apr 6, 2017, 6:00 PM
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook reacts in the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
(AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
PHOENIX — Ask Earl Watson about his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook and Watson will highlight the person first and the player second.
The two are close.
“That’s my little brother,” Watson said.
The two will be reunited on Friday when the Phoenix Suns host the Thunder for their final meeting of the season series.
Westbrook is on the cusp of history.
No player has averaged a triple-double — double digits in scoring, rebounding and assists — in a single season since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62.
Westbrook can match that mark with six assists Friday, which would ensure a triple-double average for 2016-17. And if he logs one more triple-double in any of the Thunder’s four remaining games, he’ll surpass Robertson’s single-season record of 41, a mark that’s been held for 55 years.
“I think it’s remarkable,” forward Jared Dudley said Thursday. “He leads the league in scoring, too. So, people keep saying he’s chasing triple-doubles and I don’t know how you chase triple-doubles and lead the league in scoring. How do you do both? He’s probably the best athlete that I’ve ever seen in person and I’ve gone against Kobe (Bryant) and LeBron (James) and with his speed and athleticism, it’s just phenomenal.”
Westbrook enters Friday’s matchup averaging 31.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists; the latter two categories are career-high marks.
Westbrook has maintained a triple-double average since Nov. 29.
“Historically, it’s something we might not ever witness again unless he does it again,” Watson said.
Even before Watson and Westbrook shared an NBA locker room, when Watson was an eight-year veteran and Westbrook a rookie in 2008-09, the two shared a connection.
“I was with him the first day he stepped foot on the UCLA campus,” Watson said.
Westbrook was a regular in offseason workouts and pickup games with current and former NBA players. It was during those long hours spent in the gym that Watson first realized Westbrook’s talent.
“You saw him continue to grow, continue to get better and his game has evolved,” Watson said.
Today, Westbrook is an MVP candidate.
“To me, it’s hands down Russ,” Watson said, giving Westbrook the edge over Houston’s James Harden.
The Suns will see firsthand on Friday, though they’ve seen it three times already.
In the second game of the season, Westbrook dropped 51 points on the Suns with 13 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. Seven weeks later, he recorded another triple-double (26-11-22) and then just last month, Westbrook had 48 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. The Suns won that game, their only one of the series thus far.
In three meetings this season, Westbrook is averaging 41.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 13.7 assists.
“You comprehend it because you see how hard he plays,” Watson said, referring to Westbrook’s 41 total triple-doubles. “I remember, he was the only player I’ve ever seen in my life come to the huddle and can’t breathe because he played so hard he needed to catch his breath, and it was every timeout. He truly plays for the right reasons and he plays to give back to people, fans. He wants fans to come and always enjoy the game.”
Of Westbrook’s 41 triple-doubles, seven have been 40-point performances and two 50-point performances, including that one against the Suns.
Westbrook fell one rebound shy of a triple-double against Memphis on Wednesday, setting the stage for an historic night Friday at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
“He deserves every bit of the attention he gets for his play,” Watson said. “He doesn’t play to be liked. He’s not trying to be popular. He’s just expressing himself. And if you knew him off the court, you can’t help but fall in love with him as a person, so big heart, big person.”
FREE THROWS
— The Suns will once again be shorthanded on Friday. In addition to the three players resting (Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight), guard Leandro Barbosa won’t play against the Thunder. He’s been ruled out.
Barbosa continues to be bothered by right hamstring spasms, which has sidelined him the previous six games.
— In each of the past three games and six times in seven games overall, the Suns have fallen behind by double-digits in the first quarter. Against Golden State on Wednesday, the Suns trailed by 23, 41-18, after the opening period.
“We’re just playing youth,” Dudley explained. “It’s not like we’re going for a certain thing. Right now, we’re just trying to give so much experience to these guys. Sometimes it can be good and sometimes it can be bad just in the sense of you’re playing so many young guys that are trying to think of the same thing and just score, score, score. And I understand that, that’s how I was when I first got in the league, but there’s got to be different roles with different people at the same time and that’s where, I think, the second unit is a little bit more ahead of them just because we have a role.”
— After handing the Suns their franchise single-season record-tying 13th straight loss, the Warriors praised their opponent.
Said guard Klay Thompson of the Suns comeback: “They have a bunch of young guys who don’t want to be embarrassed so they fought back in. You got to give them credit, they are still very talented. It’s crazy how young they are, but it’s basketball and they just made a good run.”
It’s not the first time a Suns opponent has paid Watson’s team a compliment.
“We hear that a lot when we go to other arenas and (from) other front office people or other coaches, other teams. We never take that for granted. We appreciate the compliments,” he said. “For me, for us, we’re at the point we want to hear congratulations not, you know, good job.”
