Lakers News: As A Reserve, Russell Westbrook Is Making Lakers History

Mr. Triple Double is doing exactly that with the purple and gold.

The Los Angeles Lakers earned themselves a big W last night after the debacle they experienced on Tuesday night against rival Boston Celtics. 

L.A. came out on top against the Denver Nuggets without Anthony Davis in the second half, 126-108, to inch closer to .500. 

The role players stepped up while LeBron James did his thing, putting up 30 points, nine rebounds, and four assists to take down the back-to-back MVP in Nikola Jokic. 

However, last night, Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook accomplished history as he became the first player in Laker history to record a triple-double off the bench. 

The first Laker in franchise history with multiple triple-doubles off the bench pic.twitter.com/ZzvNMJ35ee

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 17, 2022

In 30 minutes, Westbrook put up 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, propelling the Lakers to victory. 

This is no surprise to anyone familiar with Russell’s game. Mr. Triple Double himself earned that nickname after surpassing Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in NBA history and averaging a triple-double four times in four seasons. 

Many of Westbrook’s triple-doubles have gone without recognition since it’s become something of a new norm for us. There was a time when it was actually odd if Westbrook didn’t get a triple-double because of how often he used to get them. At this point, with his minutes and touches now reduced, that is no longer quite the case.

Russ sits alone at the tippy top with 196 triple-doubles in NBA history, while teammate LeBron James is fifth on the list with 105. There’s a good chance Westbrook could hit 200 by the end of the season, which would be an almost unbreakable record. 

The important thing is that it resulted in a win for the Lakers, and hopefully, they can continue to string those along as the season progresses. 

All in all, this is a fantastic accomplishment by Mr. Triple Double, especially because it was a big part of another Lakers victory.