Russell Westbrook had the best game of his career 4 days after getting surgery
(Sue Ogrocki/AP) Russell Westbrook wore a protective mask on the court 4 days after surgery. Russell Westbrook had a scary injury at the end of February when he fell into a teammate's knee and got up with a small dent in the side of his face .
Westbrook missed the next game and had to get surgery in Los Angeles to repair the cheek fracture.
The injury didn't take much of a toll on Westbrook. He returned to the Thunder lineup on Wednesday, just four days after surgery, and dropped his fourth straight triple-double in a 123-118 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Westbrook had a career-high 49 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, and 10 assists to become the first player to post four straight triple-doubles since Michael Jordan did it in 1989. (For perspective on Jordan's insane run, he posted seven straight triple-doubles).
Westbrook looked like his usual explosive self. In the first quarter, he took off on an inbounds pass, going end-to-end in five dribbles and throwing down a massive two-handed dunk.
Westbrook also had the Thunder's final 10 points in overtime, helping them seal the win.
In seven games since the All-Star break, Westbrook has been averaging 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists per game.
The Thunder have a one game lead for eighth place in the Western Conference. If they can lock up a playoff seed and Westbrook keeps this up, he'll undoubtedly force himself into the MVP conversation.
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