Russell Westbrook had the best game of his career 4 days after getting surgery

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russell westbrook face mask

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.

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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.