Nuggets' Russell Westbrook on 200th career triple-double: 'I'm truly grateful'

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With 15 years’ hindsight, Russell Westbrook has some nitpicks for his first career triple-double.

He can remember the opponent on command. Oklahoma City hosted the Dallas Mavericks that day. And he can remember the stat line. Two-thirds of it, at least.

“I only had 10 rebounds and 10 assists,” Westbrook recalled in the visiting locker room on Beale Street.

There might have been just the slightest trace of his trademark scowl as he reminisced as if he was restraining a shred of actual disappointment that his 20-year-old self didn’t do better.

“I don’t like those triple-doubles,” he said. “I like a 17, 15 and 14 type of joint, personally.”

Two hundred of these things will have that effect.

With 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists off the bench, Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to amass 200 triple-doubles in a career on Tuesday night. It was his first with the Nuggets. He now has 19 more triple-doubles than Oscar Robertson, whose record he broke in 2021.

“I’m truly grateful to be able to play the game long enough to be able to do that,” Westbrook said after Denver’s 122-110 win over the Grizzles. “But I’m also appreciative of the ones who came before me. And to be able to set the table, I’m grateful for that as well. Great night. My teammates made it easy for me and allowed me to go out and compete, and I’m grateful for the entire journey.”

The 36-year-old buried a 3-pointer to reach 10 points with 9:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, stymying a Memphis run suddenly landing him within one rebound of history. But with 5:52 go to, he was substituted out of the game, which Denver led by only eight.

Westbrook admitted the potential triple-double was on his mind as he checked back in two minutes later.

“You know what, normally it’s not crazy (on my mind),” he said. “But you know, I needed to get one. So I got it. I got an offensive rebound for my only one tonight.”

The milestone-clinching moment? A missed 3-pointer by Nuggets center Dario Saric with 1:25 left. On a night the Nuggets lost 19-12 on the offensive glass, Westbrook reeled in a vital rebound that allowed them to extend their possession with a 115-110 lead. Saric redeemed himself by draining a game-icing 3 with 28 seconds left.

Will Westbrook do anything to thank Saric for the helpful miss?

“Nah, I thank him for making the next one to close the game,” he said, laughing.

Denver’s backup point guard is averaging 6.0 assists per game this season and 11.6 per 48 minutes. He received the game ball Tuesday for obvious reasons, but coach Michael Malone awarded him with the team’s bejeweled “Defensive Player of the Game” chain as well. Early in the second quarter, the coaching staff directed Westbrook to guard Memphis power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. — a matchup in which Westbrook gives up 6 inches. Moments later, he took a charge to draw Jackson’s third foul, sidelining him for several minutes while the Nuggets established a double-digit lead.

“The best part about it for me is, Russ wants that,” Malone said. “Yes, we feel confident. But he’s a guy that is a competitor. He’s a fighter. He wants to guard the biggest dude out there, and he’s never going to back down.”

Westbrook finished the night with two steals and a block on the defensive end. His offense was inconsistent, but his play-making for teammates was so resounding that he was able to maintain an exceptional assist-to-turnover ratio even with five turnovers.

The assists were among his best of the season. A no-look dish to DeAndre Jordan for a transition dunk. A nonchalant bounce pass from the elbow to a cutting Christian Braun. A baseline inbound from the corner that threaded the needle to Michael Porter Jr. for an and-one.

“If I got one triple-double, I would be pretty happy,” Braun told The Denver Post. “But watching him and just his relentless approach to the game, it’s just every single night. Every walk-through. He does everything the same way. He plays hard.”

Braun noticed Westbrook’s stat line on the big screen during the fourth quarter and pointed it out to DeAndre Jordan, a longtime friend of Westbrook and fellow 2008 draftee. “Yeah, that’s for 200,” Jordan responded. Braun, who was drafted 14 years later, didn’t realize Westbrook had been sitting on 199.

“All-time NBA leader,” Malone said, “and the cool thing about it is, the guy that’s going to break his record is on his team right now.”

The irony of the occasion Tuesday was the absence of that player. Nikola Jokic was home in Denver, where he stayed all weekend for family reasons, missing the Nuggets’ three-game road trip. He has six triple-doubles in 10 games this season, bringing his career total to 136. He’s two away from tying Magic Johnson for third in NBA history.

“Nikola’s one of the best in the world,” Westbrook said. “Not ‘one of.’ Is the best in the world. … He’ll be back. And he’ll take over from there.”

Jokic is only 29, plotting a reasonable course to catch Westbrook by the end of his career. Even if he does, Westbrook’s pedigree as a historical figure in the sport is unlikely to be affected. He is beloved by younger players, including those on rookie contracts in Denver right now. Westbrook has said one of the appealing aspects of playing for the Nuggets this season was the mentorship opportunity he would have on a young roster.

“Everywhere you go, Russ is the biggest celebrity you could be around,” said Julian Strawther, who is 22. “Everybody loves Russ. He’s just a great guy and a great teammate. He’s in here just leading guys. And the things he’s done for the game, it’s hard to put into words. Two hundred triple-doubles is a lot. I don’t even know if I’ve got 200 career games.”

Westbrook decided to take a guess at the last part of his stat line from March 2, 2009. “Maybe I had 17 or 19,” he said. His memory didn’t fail him. The Oklahoma City Thunder rookie scored 17 points in that win over Dallas.

He wasn’t as picky about those numbers at the time.

“Hell no,” Westbrook said. “Hell no. No, I couldn’t have been. Not at all. That’s my first one. Now we’re at 200.”