DENVER — Russell Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson’s 56-year-old record with his 42nd triple-double of the season Sunday, then he broke the Denver Nuggets’ hearts with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for a 106-105 victory.
That eliminated the Nuggets from playoff contention and put the Portland Trail Blazers in as the eighth seed from the Western Conference.
Westbrook had 50 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in breaking Robertson’s record of 41 triple-doubles that stood since the 1961-62 season.
Westbrook’s record-breaking assist came with 4:17 remaining after a series of missed shots delayed his historic moment
With his triple-double in the books, Westbrook scored his team’s final 13 points, including a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded after a timeout with 2.9 seconds left.
Kyle Single inbounded the ball to Steven Adams, who fed Westbrook for the winner.
Danilo Gallinari scored 22 of his season-high 34 points in the third quarter to lead the Nuggets, who were hoping to take the race with Portland for the final Western Conference playoff spot down to the final two games.
Before tip-off, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he wouldn’t care if Westbrook broke the record so long as it came in a loss.
“I want to win. That’s the most important thing for me is if we get a win and he breaks the record, gets a triple-double, so be it,” Malone said. “I think the most important analytical stat out there is wins and we need to win today if we want to continue to go on this road trip and play meaningful basketball for the last two games.”
The Nuggets then blew their double-digit lead by allowing Westbrook to score the game’s final eight points.
The Thunder is locked into the sixth seed and will face Houston in the first round of the playoffs in a showdown between Westbrook and his chief rival for the MVP award, Rockets point guard James Harden.
Westbrook had 23 points, a dozen boards and half a dozen assists by the time the Thunder went to the locker room trailing 53-52 at halftime at the Pepsi Center.
BLAZERS PLAYOFF TICKETS
The Blazers announced on Sunday that tickets for the first round of the NBA playoffs will go on sale at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 13 through trailblazers.com, Ticketmaster, or the Rose Quarter Box Office. Fans can also sign up for a presale opportunity at trailblazers.com/presale. A maximum of four tickets for each game are available to each customer, subject to availability. The playoff schedule will be announced by the NBA on Wednesday night after the conclusion of the regular season.
