Russell Westbrook's been something of a one-man army for the Oklahoma City Thunder over the past month. But even the league's leader in points per game and assist percentage can use a little bit of help every now and again.
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Like, for example, when you're looking for that elusive 10th rebound to put the finishing touches on yet another triple-double in your recent run for the ages. In that type of situation, it's nice to have a friendly relationship with the home score-keeper:
Minnesota Timberwolves center Justin Hamilton came away with the ball after Thunder guard D.J. Augustin's 3-point try with just over 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday night, but only after Westbrook had inserted himself in the play to try to put the miss back up and in. At that point, Westbrook had already rolled up 29 points and 12 assists, but he was stuck on nine rebounds, leaving him one shy of the big round number needed to pull off the troika trick that's become his calling card of late.
And so, with only a couple of minutes left in what looked sure to be a breezy Thunder victory, Russell Westbrook pulled out his trademark charm, according to ESPN.com's Royce Young:
[Westbrook] looked over at the Thunder's official scorekeepers, holding his arm up.
"Tip?" he said, nodding his head. "Tip?"
A quick conference at the scorer's table and right around the time the buzzer sounded on the Thunder's 113-99 win, Westbrook suddenly had his triple-double: 29 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. [...]
The rebound appears to be a tad dubious, an offensive board awarded with 2:35 left where Westbrook went up to tip back a missed 3-point attempt by D.J. Augustin. Westbrook was given a missed shot on it, so everything is on the up and up, but still, hard not to raise an eyebrow.
So, was he campaigning for the rebound or what?
"Uhh, no," Westbrook said.
You sure?
"No," he said, unleashing a trademark glare.
Nice try, Mr. Westbrook. But we've watched enough election coverage to irrevocably damage our brains for the next several centuries know that any politician worth his or her salt never stops campaigning, and that sometimes, in the heat of the moment, a hopeful "Tip?" can tip the scales in your favor. And if that's all it takes to seal your sixth triple-double in eight games and your league-leading eighth of the season — nobody else has more than three — to give you more triple-doubles in a season than anyone since Jason Kidd in 2007-08 ... well, I mean, #whynot, right?
Whether you find this particular brand of score-keeping sauce to be weak or awesome, it doesn't materially change the fact that Westbrook once again grabbed a game by the scruff of its neck and propelled the Thunder to a needed victory, this time a comfortable 113-99 win over the Western Conference cellar-dwelling Minnesota Timberwolves that improved the Thunder's record to 36-29, same as the New Orleans Pelicans, their chief competition for the No. 8 seed in the West's playoff race. (New Orleans remains in the eighth spot, though, by virtue of the Pelicans' 3-1 win in the season series with Oklahoma City.)
Reasonable people can differ about the validity of that 10th rebound, but it's inarguable that Westbrook turned in yet another all-things-to-all-people performance, alternating between orchestrating the Oklahoma City attack to make sure his big men ate and going solo to the cup to keep the Wolves at bay:
With starting power forward Serge Ibaka out of the lineup for the first time this season, sidelined by a sore right knee, Thunder coach Scott Brooks gave rookie big man Mitch McGary the first start of his NBA career. (“Great opportunity,” the coach said before the game. “Welcome to an NBA starting lineup, you get to guard Kevin Garnett, one of the greatest bigs of all-time.”)
The Michigan man held his own, scoring 12 points in 22 1/2 minutes of work. All six of his baskets came off direct assists from Westbrook, who fed the freshman multiple drop-off passes at the rim after drawing all the Wolves' defensive attention, and who generated a couple of open McGary jumpers out of pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop actions.
Westbrook also continued to showcase his wonderful chemistry with trade deadline acquisition Enes Kanter, notching assists on three of the Turkish center's 10 baskets, including this lovely open-court give-and-go for a Kanter slam as the Thunder began to take control in the third quarter:
Kanter continued his excellent offensive work since joining the Thunder after spending his first three-plus NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz, torching the Wolves for 23 points on 10-for-19 shooting to go with 15 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, in 33 minutes in the win. It was the third time in Kanter's 10 games with the Thunder that he's scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least 10 rebounds; he's averaging 15.5 points and 9.4 boards in 28.7 minutes per game in Oklahoma City, and getting all the interior touches he can handle.
“In Utah, I was playing more four, spacing out and shooting more,” Kanter said after the game, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. “Now, coach wants me to be inside more, post up and get those rebounds.”
And if Kanter and the other Thunder bigs can take care of that, Westbrook has proven he can take care of the rest:
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Westbrook is now averaging 32.9 points, 11.1 assists and 10.1 rebounds in 36.3 minutes per game since the All-Star break, a run of individual brilliance that's allowed a Thunder squad that's still without ailing MVP Kevin Durant stay afloat in the Western playoff chase. After the game, though, Westbrook didn't highlight his strong suits or how much he's been doing all over the court for his club; instead, he harped on his flaws.
"I do know one thing, I need to stop turning the ball over, I can tell you that much," Westbrook said after committing eight turnovers, his third straight game with that many cough-ups, according to Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press. "It's frustrating trying to make passes and turning it over, but at the same time, we're winning. I'll go back to the drawing board and take care of it."
And hey, if that doesn't work, maybe give the score-keeper a wink and a nod. I've heard that can help.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.
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