How do you stop Russell Westbrook?

The first key on a team's wish-list when playing Oklahoma City is devising a scheme to contain Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook.

One of the top candidates to win this year's Most Valuable Player award, Westbrook is trying to become the only player besides Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for an entire season. With the season winding to a close, the feisty veteran is averaging 31.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game.

In other words, he is a handful for any defense.

"He affects the game in a lot of ways," Mavericks forward Dorian Finley-Smith, who will get a turn guarding Westbrook when Dallas hosts host OKC tonight at 7:30 at American Airlines a Center. "You just try to not let him get going.

"We know he's going to go do his deal. but we’ve got to shut all of the rest of the guys down."

Westbrook has 36 triple-doubles this season, but none in the two games the Thunder have played the Mavericks this season. In those two games Westbrook has a total of eight assists.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 2:17 PM with the headline "How do you stop Russell Westbrook?."