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The Best of the Day: May 3rd, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from May 3, 2021 including Westbrook's historic triple-double, Warriors vs. Pelicans in AR, and more!
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The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 5/3 here.
In what has become a seemingly nightly reoccurrence, Russell Westbrook recorded a triple-double along with the red-hot Wizards earning a win. This one was especially ridiculous for Westbrook though, as he broke several records. With the NBA and Marvel partnering up to televise the Warriors-Pelicans contest, the future of sports broadcasting appears to include AR. Edmond Sumner posterized Alex Len, the Lakers got back to their winning ways vs. Denver in the game of the day, and the “We Believe” Warriors pulled off the biggest upset in NBA history on this day in 2007.
Here is the best of the day from May 3, 2021:
Russell Westbrook broke more NBA records with another ridiculous triple-double
Russell Westbrook keeps putting up historic numbers as the Wizards continue to add more W’s to the win column. The 32-year-old 9x All-Star and former league MVP put up an absurd stat line of 14 points, 24 assists, and 21 rebounds to propel Washington to a 154-141 OT victory over the Indiana Pacers Monday night.
Russ dropped a full-court dime to Beal 👀 pic.twitter.com/ne3vA5C4pk
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 4, 2021
Now with 32 on the season, Westbrook clinched his fourth season averaging a triple-double, the most in NBA history (Oscar Robertson has the only other such season). Not only that, but it was his fifth 20+ assist triple-double, surpassing Magic Johnson for the most in league history as well as his second career 20+ assist and 20+ rebound triple-double, also the most ever. Now with 178 triple-doubles and seven games to go this season, Westbrook has a shot at breaking the all-time record for most in a career, trailing Robertson by just three.
Russell Westbrook's season totals:
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) May 4, 2021
✅ 1,264 PTS
✅ 657 REB
✅ 651 AST
Westbrook can play at most 65 games this season, so he will average a triple-double for the fourth time in his career.
All other players in NBA history have combined for one such season (Oscar Robertson). pic.twitter.com/NPuJPF3A7a
Most 20-assist triple-doubles in NBA history:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 4, 2021
5 — Russell Westbrook (incl tonight)
4 — Magic Johnson
4 — Rajon Rondo
3 — Oscar Robertson
(Submitted by @DeePee30) pic.twitter.com/VOIduULrkb
Russell Westbrook becomes the only player in NBA history to record multiple triple-doubles with 20+ REB and 20+ AST. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player to have 1 such game. pic.twitter.com/8l31uFBJyh
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) May 4, 2021
Most importantly, the Wizards improved their record to 30-35, sitting comfortably ahead of Toronto (3 GB) for the final play-in spot in the East. The win also brings them to just half a game behind Indiana (30-34) for the ninth seed and a game-and-a-half behind Charlotte (31-33) for eighth.
With the way Washington is playing (13-3 in their last 16 GP), no playoff team will want to face them in the play-in tournament and perhaps even the first round. With their explosive offense led by the dynamic backcourt duo of Westbrook and Bradley Beal, D.C. will pose a legitimate threat to one of the East’s top teams.
Russell Westbrook's 24 assists tonight ties the Washington franchise record for most assists in a game, first set by Kevin Porter in 1980. pic.twitter.com/DypQ218Lxr
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 4, 2021
Russell Westbrook (14p/21r/24a) and Draymond Green (10p/13r/15a) each recorded a triple-double in which they tallied more rebounds AND more assists than points scored.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) May 4, 2021
It's the first time in NBA history two such triple-doubles have occurred on the same day. pic.twitter.com/joKQJRf1ZR
Related: Stories of the Day
THE FUTURE OF SPORTS BROADCASTS IS HERE WITH AR
Monday night’s matchup between Golden State and New Orleans looked a little different on TV than people are used to seeing. ESPN partnered with Marvel to take sports broadcasting to new heights. Marvel implemented augmented reality where images appeared on the screen in real-time. There were superheroes around the arena, animations when a basket was made, and name tags following players around at times, amongst other things.
This was the first time something of this nature had been done in the NBA, and it was very interesting to see. There was even the first-ever “Arena Of Heroes” champion, which was awarded to Draymond Green (slightly different than the NVP which was solely based on fan votes). Green obtained this by accumulating the most “Hero Points”, which is a combination of all-around production like points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Missing a shot, free throw, or turning the ball over leads to a deduction of hero points.
AR can be implemented in more ways and build on what happened Monday night. For example, it could show how many points a player has at the time live over his head. Also, displaying statistics and trends like “Made last four threes” would be something that a viewer may be interested in or seeing the percentages of how likely a player will make each shot based on a variety of factors.
There is even the option to go down the fantasy route, and show how many fantasy points they’ve racked up so far or add a wagering element to the broadcast by showing how the spread is looking based on the current score or when the over cashes, add in some type of edit at the basket that shows money signs or something. The opportunities for AR are endless, and it will be exciting to see where it goes from here with this game laying the groundwork for a bright future ahead.
COLORS KEY | FULL WARRIORS OUTLOOK
Black Panther, Iron Man & Captain Marvel dropped in for Marvel’s #ArenaOfHeroes! pic.twitter.com/de9MwDOL6i
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2021
Another 40+ point outing for Steph!
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2021
41 PTS | 8 3PM | 8 AST pic.twitter.com/9urFYBIDia
Draymond Green posts a triple-double in the @warriors win and becomes Marvel's first #ArenaOfHeroes champion with a game-high 48 Hero Points! @Money23Green: 10 PTS, 13 REB, 15 AST pic.twitter.com/wBVUZNeLEw
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2021
A scoring breakdown for Draymond Green as he becomes Marvel's first #ArenaOfHeroes champion with a game-high 48 Hero Points! pic.twitter.com/Ib5OJYUlUb
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2021
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
Sumner put Len on a poster
Edmond Sumner rocking the rim 💥 pic.twitter.com/jv2kIYhKFV
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 3, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
PG Russell Westbrook, WAS (W v.IND): 14 PTS (5-8 FG | 0-0 3P), 24 AST, 21 REB, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 6 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (5/3/21): PG Russell Westbrook, WAS
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 4, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- Career-high 21 REB, t-most AST (24) in DC history
- 1st player with multiple triple-doubles of 20 REB/20 AST
- Most triple-doubles (5) with 20+ AST in NBA history
KEY STATS:
14 PTS, 24 AST, 21 REB, 5-8 FG (63%) https://t.co/xhOWyl0TMS
Related: Players of the Day
Denver Nuggets (89) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (93)
[Highlights] @LAKERS (+166; $8.55) d. NUGGETS (-191; $10.98) 93-89 [LAL +5 | u213]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
DATE: May 3, 2007
SIGNIFICANCE: “We Believe” Warriors pulled off the biggest upset in NBA history, defeating the 67-15 No.1 seed Mavs in 6 games
May 3, 2007: The "We Believe" Golden State Warriors upset the 67-win Dallas Mavericks led by MVP Dirk Nowitzki with a Game 6 victory during the 1st Round as the 1st No.8 seed to ever beat a No.1 seed under the current NBA postseason 7-game format
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 3, 2021
pic.twitter.com/ZH8YKDhiXg
Related: Significant Sports History
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