Despite losing to the New Orleans Pelicans 131-122 on Thursday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder had reason to celebrate as superstar Russell Westbrook notched his record-setting 11th straight triple-double. Westbrook picked up 44 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists and dominated all the way up and down the court for much of the game. His performance still wasn't good enough to defeat a struggling Pelicans team that hasn't been the same since Anthony Davis made it clear that he doesn't want to play there anymore. After the game, Westbrook said there is still a lot of work to be done.
"I have so much room for improvement, just for me personally, because I know how good I can be and how much I can bring to the game and to help this team be successful," Westbrook said according to ESPN. "So I'm very, very optimistic."
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan was impressed with Westbrook's play and explained how without Russ, the game would have been more of a blowout.
"I thought Russell's energy trying to lift up our team kind of kept us around, kept us hanging around," Donovan explained. "He really played downhill; he got to the basket. That was the biggest thing -- you noticed he got to the rim and then he was able to, you know, find people, and he did."
The Thunder currently sit comfortably in 3rd place in the Western Conference with a record of 37-20.