Harden, Westbrook face off when Rockets host Thunder

HOUSTON -- With Rockets guard James Harden and his former teammate in Oklahoma City, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, set to share the court on Thursday night at Toyota Center, the conversation surrounding their third meeting this season inevitably turned to triple-doubles.

Harden and Westbrook have been established as co-favorites for league MVP honors in large part by their ability to do everything for their respective teams. Westbrook leads the league with 16 triple-doubles for the Thunder (21-15) and is averaging 30.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game.

Harden was earlier this week named Western Conference Player of the Month after leading the Rockets (27-9) to a 15-2 record in December. He closed the month with a historic 53-point, 16-rebound and 17-assist performance against the New York Knicks on New Year's Eve and is presently averaging 28.4 points and career highs in rebounds (8.2) and assists (11.9). Harden has nine triple-doubles thus far.

"I don't know necessarily what it would be but I think if you have players like Harden, like Russell that are impacting the game a lot of different ways -- the ball's in their hands," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said of the explosion of triple-doubles. "There's probably more opportunity for them to create those (triple-doubles), especially for Russell because he's such a great rebounder. That's really the hard part."

Ball dominance has keyed the stat-stuffing surge for both point guards. Westbrook entered Wednesday's 123-112 road loss to the Charlotte Hornets not only leading the league in scoring but also with a 42.2 percent usage rate. Harden is fourth in the NBA with a 33.7 usage rate. Harden became a dominating scorer once he left Oklahoma City for Houston five seasons ago, averaging 27.1 points over 350 games with the Rockets. Westbrook showcased that skill when then-teammate Kevin Durant lost most of the 2014-15 season to injury, edging out Harden for the scoring title at 28.1 points per game.

The only significant difference between the two this season is scoring efficiency. Westbrook missed 21 of 31 shots against the Hornets en route to his 33-point, 15-rebound and 8-assist performance. That marked the eighth time this season Westbrook has taken at least 28 shots in a game; Harden hoisted a season-high 27 attempts against the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 12 while posting 36 points and 11 assists.

Westbrook has produced an effective field goal percentage of 46.2 percent this season, just the fifth-best mark of his nine-year career. Conversely, Harden owns a 52.8 effective field goal percentage, the third-best mark of his eight-year career.

It requires deep analysis to determine which guard is having the superior season. From a player perspective, the outrageous numbers offer a snapshot of an ever-improving league.

"Talent has continued to grow," Harden said. "Bigs are more versatile than ever; they're on the wings shooting 3s and handling the basketball. You've got that and it's more spacing on the floor and that makes it harder to defend.

"The numbers that the guys around the league are putting up are crazy. So far you have eight guys that have 50 (points) already. Russ does something crazy every single night with his numbers so the league is at an all-time high and it's fun to watch. I'm sure the fans all around the world are excited just like I am."