OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook had 20 points, 20 rebounds and 21 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 119-103 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night.
It was just the second time in league history a player had at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists in a game. Wilt Chamberlain had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists in a 1968 game for Philadelphia 76ers against Detroit.
Westbrook finished off the feat in the final minute, nabbing Lance Stephenson’s miss with 41 seconds left, drawing a large ovation from the crowd.
He clinched the triple-double — his 31st of the season — with 4:38 left in the third quarter, hitting a contested jumper.
In the 2016-17 season Westbrook set the record for most triple-doubles in a season with 42, averaging a triple-double in that campaign and again last season.
Westbrook dedicated his performance to slain rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was gunned down on Sunday in Los Angeles.
“That wasn’t for me,” Westbrook told broadcaster TNT after the game. “That was for my bro. That’s for Nipsey — 20 plus 20 plus 20 ... that’s for my bro, rest in peace Nipsey.”
Warriors 116, Nuggets 102
Golden State took a big step toward securing the top seed in the Western Conference, overcoming the ejection of Kevin Durant to crush Denver in Oakland, Calif.
The win gave the Warriors (53-24) a two-game lead over the Nuggets (51-26) with just five to play. The Warriors also earned a potential tiebreaker by virtue of their third straight win over the Nuggets after an October defeat, claiming the season series 3-1.
In a marquee matchup of big men, DeMarcus Cousins outplayed Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, contributing 28 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocked shots, helping the Warriors to their fourth win in their last five games.
Rockets 130, Kings 105
James Harden recorded his 32nd double-double, and visiting Houston completed a sweep of its four-game season series with Sacramento.
Harden paired 36 points on 12-of-19 shooting with 10 assists and sank 7 of 12 3-pointers for Houston (50-28), which led by as many as 30 points. The Rockets improved to 17-4 since the All-Star break to move a half-game ahead of Portland in pursuit of the third seed in the Western Conference.
Eric Gordon added 19 points, Danuel House Jr. scored 19 off the bench, and P.J. Tucker chipped in 13 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Rockets a 62-46 lead at the intermission.
Spurs 117, Hawks 111
Derrick White and Marco Belinelli led a fourth-quarter surge as San Antonio rallied past visiting Atlanta.
White, who hit 10 of his 12 shots, finished with 23 points, and DeMar DeRozan went for 29, as the Spurs (45-33) kept pace with Oklahoma City (45-33) in their duel for seventh place in the Western Conference.
The Spurs trailed by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter before rallying into the lead during a stretch in which White scored seven straight points. — Reuters