The Warriors finally lost a Draymond Green triple-double

There’s been a running gag in the NBA, primarily surrounding Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook. For three straight years, Westbrook (then with the Oklahoma City Thunder) averaged a triple-double. That was a feat many thought would never happen.

Westbrook was undeniably good during that run, but there was often a sense that he was chasing triple-doubles, primarily because . . . uhh . . well . . . I mean, you watched the games. You know what I’m talking about. It’s right there.

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Anyway, the joke became that because Westbrook clearly cared about the arbitrary statistic that gets headlines, he must value them more than winning. And therefore when Westbrook would record a triple-double, fans would joke about how the Thunder “won” . . . even if they lost.

It was fun and playful. Except Draymond Green never really got the memo that it was a joke.

Green recorded his first career triple-double on January 2, 2015, when he finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in a victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Over the years, Green has continued to wrack up triple-doubles . . . not at the pace that Westbrook does, but he hasn’t been a slouch, either. And there was a constant: The Warriors would win.

Entering Wednesday’s games, Green had recorded 23 career triple-doubles in the regular season. And the Warriors had gone 23-0 in those games.

That streak finally ended on Wednesday. The three-time All-Star had his second triple-double of the year, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. But the Warriors fell to the New York Knicks 124-122 in overtime.

All good things must end.

That being said, it’s not the first time the Warriors have dropped a game when Green recorded a triple-double, just the first time in the regular season. The Defensive Player of the Year has 10 career postseason triple-doubles, with Golden State going 7-3 in those contests.