The NBA regular season delivered one of its random gems Wednesday, when Houston Rockets center Chuck Hayes recorded a triple-double against the Golden State Warriors. Hayes, known more for his stout post defense than putting up statistics, got to double-figure points last of the three categories, scoring his 10th and 11th points midway through the fourth quarter. He added 14 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists, topping his previous best of eight.
Player Year APG_car APG_sea
Rodney White 02-03 1.1 1.7
Chuck Hayes 10-11 1.2 2.4
Robert Parish 86-87 1.4 2.2
Clarence Weatherspoon 93-94 1.5 2.3
Sam Perkins 92-93 1.5 2.0
Kenny Thomas 05-06 1.5 2.0
Hayes’ triple-double looks a little more predictable when we consider his assist average this season, which is best of this group. Hayes has been handing out extra assists lately, including seven in a win a week ago. On the other hand, most of the other guys were nightly double-double threats. Hayes had just 15 double-doubles in his career, so getting the points and rebounds categories filled in was no sure thing. (This is also true for Rodney White, a middling rebounder. He also had a 12th of his total assists for the season in his triple-double, almost certainly the most improbable in modern NBA history.)
