Russell Westbrook edged closer to NBA immortality with his 40th triple-double as LeBron James dug deep to help Cleveland clinch a thriller against Indiana
los angeles — Russell Westbrook edged closer to NBA immortality with his 40th triple-double of the season late on Sunday as LeBron James dug deep to help Cleveland clinch a double-overtime thriller against Indiana.
Westbrook scored 40 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and provided 10 assists but the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to a 113-101 home loss against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Thunder guard is now one triple-double away from tying Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson’s singleseason record of 41, set in 196162 for the Cincinnati Royals.
With six games left in the regular season, Westbrook can match the record when the Thunder host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
Westbrook however was more focused on the Thunder’s defeat than the latest chapter in his remarkable season.
Asked for his thoughts about the possibility of tying Robertson’s long-standing mark on Tuesday, Westbrook replied: “We gotta win. That’s my thoughts.”
“We were just making bad mistakes, bad decisions,” Westbrook said after a game that saw the Thunder hand over 24 turnovers. “Starting with myself, we have to take better care of the ball.”
Oklahoma City now lie in sixth place in the Western Conference standings at 43-33.
In Cleveland, the Cavaliers looked to 2016 NBA Finals MVP James once again to secure a pulsating 135-130 win over the Pacers in double-overtime.
James finished with 41 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for his 11th triple-double of the season and the 53rd of his career in a crucial win for the Cavaliers.
Pacers star Paul George led the scoring with 43 points including 19 in the two periods of overtime, adding nine rebounds and nine assists.
But James lost his cool in an on- court shouting match with team-mate Tristan Thompson, the two trading barbs over a blown coverage.
“I had good intentions but I was a little bit too demonstrative at that point in the game,” James said. “I can’t show up my teammates, that’s for sure, especially Double T (Thompson) worked hard for our team, he’s a big-time player for our team so I had good intentions of what I wanted to happen, but the way it came out was ... it didn’t look good on TV.”
The Cavs moved to 49-27 to stay a half-game behind the Boston Celtics, who are 50-27. The Pacers meanwhile fell to 37-40, leaving them in a tie for eighth place with the Miami Heat.
Cleveland’s win sets the stage perfectly for what promises to be a titanic battle with Boston on Wednesday.
The Celtics brought up their 50th win of the season, downing the New York Knicks 110-94, to maintain their grip on first place. —
Results
Houston 123 Phoenix 116 Golden State 139 Washington 115 Chicago 117 New Orleans 110 Toronto 113 Philadelphia 105 Brooklyn 91 Atlanta 82 Denver 116 Miami 113 Cleveland 135 Indiana 130 LA Lakers 108 Memphis 103 Dallas 109 Milwaukee 105 San Antonio 109 Utah 103 Charlotte 113 Oklahoma 101 Boston 110 NY Knicks 94