Welcome to Triple-Double Watch, a weekly check-in on everyone’s favorite arbitrary milestone of round, base-ten numbers.
What a night for DeMarcus Cousins and the Pelicans. In what would be his second triple-double of the season, the enigmatic big man threw down 44 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 assists. And yes, while it technically came in a double overtime contest, it doesn’t change the fact that it was an absolute monster performance. Cousins willed the Pelicans to victory, crucial for a team fighting to maintain its hold on a Western Conference playoff seed.
New Orleans has been on a roll lately, winning seven of its last 10 games, and Cousins is a major factor in that success.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first 40-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972. Only three other players ever accomplished the feat: Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Oscar Robertson. It also marks Cousins’ third 40-20 game this year. (Related: the NBA Stats Twitter feed is a hell of a follow.)
Arguably a more important number though is that fat 83 Triple-Double Score. Cousins now owns the highest TDS of the season by a wide margin. The next up was Russell Westbrook’s 69.5 from New Year’s Eve.
Elsewhere, Blake Griffin also recorded his second triple-double this season, although in a losing effort. His TDS of 62 is good enough to be in a tie for seventh overall.
Also in a losing effort, Khris Middleton makes his debut in joining the 3×2 club. Congratulations, Khris, welcome aboard.
Russell Westbrook, the season leader and patron saint of this article, hasn’t reached the triple-double plateau since Jan. 9. He did, however, come up just one rebound shy on a bonkers 23-point, 20-assist game when the Thunder hung 148 on the Cavaliers.
Next: Nylon Calculus Week 14 in Review: All-star starters and recency bias
Lastly, a huge shout out to Aaron for picking up this feature while I was doing some globetrotting. His hand at covering the nuance of the triple-double world was deft and he’ll be seen in this space again.
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