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Jokic and Westbrook Make Triple Double History Together

Russell Westbrook is the career triple double leader (202), while his teammate Nikola Jokic ranks third all-time with 145 career triple doubles; those totals include a triple double for each player in Denver's 124-105 Friday night victory over Brooklyn when the duo set a record by becoming the first teammates to have a triple double in the same game twice in the same season. Jokic had 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists versus Brooklyn, while Westbrook had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Their first such game happened on December 30, 2024 when Westbrook had a "perfect" triple double (signified by making all of his shots and not committing any turnovers) in a 132-121 win versus Utah. Westbrook had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 7-7 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line. Jokic put up a stat line reminiscent of prime Wilt Chamberlain: 36 points, 22 rebounds, 11 assists. When Chamberlain led the NBA in assists in 1967-68 en route to winning his fourth regular season MVP, he had five 30-point triple doubles, and he had at least 20 rebounds in four of those games.

Westbrook did not shoot well during the first portion of the season, but since December 1 he has shot .514 from the field. Despite battling injuries to starters Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets are 4-2 in January and 12-8 since December 1. In six January 2025 games, Westbrook is averaging 17.3 ppg, 8.2 apg, and 7.3 rpg with shooting splits of .507/.370/.692. Overall, he is averaging 12.9 ppg, 6.8 apg, and 5.0 apg this season while playing in all 37 of Denver's games (16 as a starter). 

The L.A. Lakers conducted a despicable propaganda war against Westbrook, eagerly aided and abetted by LeBron James' media sycophants (including but not limited to Dave "Vampire" McMenamin and Brian "I owe it all to covering LeBron since high school" Windhorst) but--as I wrote after Westbrook finally escaped from the Lakers--"The propaganda campaign waged against Westbrook for the last year and a half is going to lose a lot of momentum now that Westbrook is playing for a legitimate NBA franchise that is more likely to utilize him correctly." Westbrook began rehabilitating his reputation during his post-Lakers stint with the L.A. Clippers from 2022-24, and this season we are seeing that Westbrook is still quite capable of playing at a high level even at the age of 36. It is fascinating to contrast how well Westbrook has played during his career alongside Kevin Durant, Paul George, and now Nikola Jokic--and how well they played alongside him--with the way that the Lakers (under the control of Player President/GM/Coach LeBron James) not only misused Westbrook but then slandered him.

Labels: Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook

posted by David Friedman @ 10:52 PM

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