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Russell Westbrook made history on Friday night in the LA Clippers' 136-125 win over the Detroit Pistons on the road. Coming off the bench, he finished with 23 points, two rebounds and nine assists to become the 25th member of the 25,000 points club, joining LeBron James in an exclusive list.
In his postgame interview, Westbrook was happy to become part of NBA history by scoring 25,000 career points in the regular season. He's 193 points away from suprassing the great Jerry West in the all-time scoring list.
"It's a blessing. I don't take any day, any night for granted," Westbrook said.
Sports Illustrated's Joey Linn also pointed out that Russell Westbrook joined LeBron James as the only two players in NBA history with 25,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 9,000 assists. It shows how unique Westbrook's skillsets are and how great of a player he is despite all the criticism over the last few years.
Westbrook also remains atop the triple-double mountain, which has been synonymous with his name since he broke Oscar Robertson's record. Only a championship is missing in the former MVP's resume, but he has a chance to add it with the LA Clippers this season.
The Clippers improved to 32-15 for the season following their win over the Detroit Pistons. They are 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the best record in the West.
Russell Westbrook sizzles in Clippers win
Russell Westbrook has been fabulous for the LA Clippers ever since arriving last season following his release from the Utah Jazz. He had a tumultuous stint with the LA Lakers before his trade to Utah but has since revitalized his career almost immediately with the Clippers.
With the Clippers acquiring James Harden this season, Westbrook was the first player to sacrifice his minutes to improve the team's fortunes. They were struggling to find the right chemistry before the triple-double king decided to come off the bench.
It paid off, as the Clippers quickly turned their season around to become a top championship contender.
Westbrook is averaging 11.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 23.0 minutes per game this season. It also helps that the Clippers have Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Harden in the starting lineup.
However, they will have to prove that they are not a fluke by winning in the playoffs. The Western Conference is stacked, so there's no guarantee that all the top teams will have an easy first-round matchup.
