The Houston Rockets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 126-123 on Saturday for the first win in the Russell Westbrook era. The veteran point guard led the way for his new team with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists for the 139th triple-double of his career, moving Westbrook past Laker legend Magic Johnson for second place on the all-time triple-doubles list.
Johnson took to Twitter to congratulate Westbrook on his milestone.
Congratulations to Russell Westbrook for passing me and having the 2nd-most triple-doubles in NBA history! https://t.co/y3KgYXsjJB
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 27, 2019
Passing Johnson was particularly special for Westbrook, considering he grew up in Los Angeles.
“Tonight will be one of those times that I’ll take a second and think about it and be grateful to be able to go out and compete and do something like that.” he told ESPN.
This now moves him behind Oscar Robertson on the all-time triple-doubles list, who holds the record with 181. Westbrook needs 43 triple-doubles to pass the Hall of Famer, which he can realistically accomplish within the next season or two. Robertson was the only player to averge a triple double in a season other than Westbrook, who has done so for the last three seasons.
