Following the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star break, the second half of the regular season kicked off on Wednesday, March 10 and is slated for conclusion on Sunday, May 16. The play-offs are set to begin on Saturday, May 22 and run to Thursday, July 22, but until then, if the current performance level is anything to go by, the action promises to be riveting.

March 13, 2021 was unofficially dubbed Triple-Double Day when, for the first time in NBA history, five different players recorded a triple-double on the same day: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Russell Westbrook (Washington Wizards), James Harden (Brooklyn Nets), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers), and Julius Randle (New York Knicks).

Antetokounmpo and Westbrook’s respective triple-doubles were particularly outstanding as they happened in the same game, marking just the sixth time in NBA history opponents in a game registered 30-point triple-doubles and the fourth time within the last four seasons. Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, countering Westbrook’s 42 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in the Bucks’ narrow 125-119 victory.

Antetokounmpo also became the second player in Bucks’ history to register triple-doubles in back-to-back games, with NBA icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar being the other. Westbrook, following that performance, is now inching closer to the mark of Oscar Robertson on the career triple-double list. The former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) now has 157 and needs 25 more to surpass Robertson.

Between them, Antetokounmpo and Westbrook account for 181 total triple-doubles, three NBA MVP awards, three All-Star Game MVP awards, and 14 All-Star appearances.

Harden has been shouldering most of the work for the Nets with Kevin Durant sidelined. His 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists last Saturday helped Brooklyn stave off a late rally by the Detroit Pistons and positioned the Nets closer to first-placed Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference. The Nets are now leading the NBA in points per game (120.5) and are fourth in assists per game (27).

Sabonis outshone the top-five defence of the Phoenix Suns for 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists on Triple-Double Day while helping the Pacers snap the Suns’ five-game win streak. The Pacers’ two-time All-Star is one of five players in the league averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists this season while Randle, fresh off his first career All-Star appearance, continues to keep the Knicks delicately balanced on the edge of play-off contention. His career is flourishing in New York, and on Saturday, he continued that progression with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 119-97 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The previously mentioned Antetokounmpo is the reigning, two-time NBA MVP, and fresh off being crowned the 2021 NBA All-Star Game MVP, he continues to make his indelible mark in the league. Following on his triple-double last Saturday against the Wizards, he faced the same team on Monday (March 15) and dropped another monster triple-double in their 133-122 win – his third triple-double in a row and Milwaukee’s fourth-straight win and ninth from their past 10 games.

He finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists on the night, shooting 12-of-19 from the field, plus three steals, recording a combined total 64 points, 26 rebounds, and 21 assists in the two-game series in Washington. Added to this is his 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the first triple-double of this run against the New York Knicks on Thursday, March 11.

With the third 31/15/10 game of his career, Antetokounmpo joins an exclusive club of players in NBA history. Since 1983, only three players have had more games with that stat line – Russell Westbrook (5), Larry Bird (5) and Luka Doncic (4). He also became the third player this season with a triple-double in three straight games, joining Russell Westbrook (twice this season) and Jimmy Butler.

For the Bucks, Antetokounmpo now has the most 30-point triple-doubles in franchise history with seven, passing the previous mark set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with six. He has recorded 25 triple-doubles in his career (17 more than any previous Bucks’ player), is the 21st player in NBA history to reach that mark and the ninth to do so before his 27th birthday.

With approximately 60 days left in the NBA regular season, many more battles will be won, additional records will be broken, and more stories will be told, so do watch the following choice matchups this weekend: Toronto Raptors vs Utah Jazz this evening, the Milwaukee Bucks vs San Antonio Spurs tomorrow night and the closer, Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.

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NBA Champion

Team Odds

Los Angeles Lakers 3.65

Brooklyn Nets 3.85

Los Angeles Clippers 6.20

Milwaukee Bucks 8.20

Utah Jazz 8.40

Philadelphia 76ers 14.00

Denver Nuggets 27.00

Boston Celtics 30.00

Phoenix Suns 30.00

Miami Heat 35.00

*Only top-10 odds shown (see

website for full list)

*Odds are subject to change.