HOUSTON — Russell Westbrook made history in just his second outing with the Houston Rockets on Saturday, leading his team to a 126-123 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Westbrook passed Magic Johnson for second-most triple-doubles in NBA history, registering his 139th, while leading a furious fourth-quarter run to seize the lead and the victory.
“He’s not fazed by anything,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He remains calm. That’s a mark of a winner, and he had a triple-double tonight. I mean, the guy is relentless. He’s a gamer.”
The superstar guard poured in 28 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists to log his first triple-double with the Rockets. Westbrook scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as Houston, trailing by three at the start of the final frame, embarked on an 8-0 run while James Harden rested on the bench.
“It’s exciting,” Harden said. “He took over that game in the fourth quarter.”
Then, with 6.1 seconds remaining and Houston clinging to a 124-123 lead, Westbrook knocked down a pair of clutch free throws to seal the win.
“It’s something I never, ever take for granted,” Westbrook said. “Nowadays, getting a triple-double seems normal. But I take pride, a lot of energy, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of the things I do off the floor to prepare myself to be able to compete every single night and play at a high level.
“For me, that’s a great accomplishment, especially growing up and never even thinking I’d be playing in the NBA, and now being able to be in the history books is just a blessing for me. I never get a chance to kind of sit back and think about some of the things I’ve done. Tonight, will be one of those times I take a second to be thankful and grateful to be able to go out, compete, and do something like that.”
All-Time NBA Triple-Double Leaders
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here , find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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