With the clock trickling into the final minute Sunday, Russell Westbrook dribbled with one hand and put his other hand out, motioning for calm.
As he drifted to his right and pulled up for the dagger 3-pointer with 51 seconds left, the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena erupted and the Thunder’s fifth-consecutive win, 101-92 over New Orleans, was complete.
So was another Westbrook triple-double: 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists. Westbrook became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to record five consecutive triple-doubles. Jordan had seven in a row that season.
Westbrook, who approaches history nightly now, continues to close in on more.