Russell Westbrook's triple-double tear continued Saturday with a record-tying night.
Westbrook had 33 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists Saturday to tie Oscar Robertson's longstanding NBA record with his 181st career triple-double in the Washington Wizards' 133-132 overtime victory against the Indiana Pacers.
Westbrook secured the record-tying triple-double late in the third quarter, but he saved his biggest plays for the close of overtime when the Wizards needed them. And his very biggest came on the defensive end of the floor.
With Bradley Beal sitting out overtime with a hamstring injury, Westbrook scored or assisted on all nine of the Wizards' points in the extra period.
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Trailing 130-126, Westbrook found Davis Bertans for a 3, then hit a driving layup to put Washington ahead one. After Edmond Sumner put Indiana back up with a bucket, Westbrook drew a foul and hit two free throws to put the Wizards up 133-132 with one second left.
Caris LeVert got a good look at a potential game-winning 3. However, Westbrook jumped out to block the shot and secure the victory. Westbrook grabbed the game ball as a keepsake and let out a roar after the win.
Beal poured in 50 points, but he was injured in the third quarter. He drove along the baseline for a layup, then immediately limped off the floor to the locker room. He returned later in the quarter and played most of the rest of regulation before leaving again late in the fourth. He missed the Wizards' final possession and all of overtime.
Domantas Sabonis, a former teammate of Westbrook's on the Oklahoma City Thunder, had a triple-double of his own for the Pacers with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists. LeVert had 35 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.
Westbrook got his 10th assist late in the third quarter to secure the record-tying triple-double. He set up Beal for a floater in the lane for the dime and the milestone.
Westbrook now has 35 triple-doubles on the season, but he's been on a real tear in the last two months. The triple-double Saturday was his 25th in the last 32 games.
Robertson's record has stood for nearly half a century. The Hall of Famer retired in 1974. Robertson was the first player in league history to average a triple-double for an entire season in 1961-62 and remained the only one until Westbrook accomplished the feat in 2016-17.
Earlier this week, Westbrook secured a season-long triple-double average for the fourth time in the last five years. He entered Saturday's game averaging 21.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and a league-leading 11.4 assists.
While much of the talk was on Westbrook and his record-tying triple-double, it overshadowed a bit the importance of the win for the Wizards. They've won 15 of their last 19 games and moved a half-game ahead of the Pacers for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The ninth seed will host the 10th seed in the new play-in tournament.
Follow Matt Eppers on Twitter @meppers_.
