With a mere two games left in the regular season for both teams, the race for the Most Valuable Player award is as close as it's been in the past decade. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook delighted fans with a blazing 50-point triple-double gem that not only earned him a 55-year-old record, and a buzzer-beating win that will forever mark his career, but also one to eliminate the Denver Nuggets from playoff contention.

Houston Rockets guard James Harden had a triple-double of his own, putting up a 35-11-15 line against the Sacramento Kings to give him team its 54th win of the season. The Beard went on to make his case for MVP in the locker room post-game.

“I think that's the most important thing, I thought winning is what this is about, period,” Harden told ESPN's Calvin Watkins. “I'm not going to get in-depth with all that, but I thought winning was the most important thing. If you set your team up in a position to have a chance, at the ultimate goal, that's the most important thing.”

As cordial as Harden and Westbrook might have been around each other through the All-Star festivities — do not mistake it — both of these guys want that MVP just as bad.

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The Beard has all the more reason to want it so badly after finishing runner up to reigning MVP Stephen Curry two seasons ago in 2014-15.

Westbrook has the clear advantage as far as the historic factor of his season and the overall numbers that surround a very special season — but for those fundamentalists, Harden and the Rockets have won eight more games than Westbrook and the Thunder and have a favorable third seed, which will force these two teams to meet in the first round of the playoffs.

Harden ultimately paid his old teammate a compliment after he passed Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in a season, before drifting away from the MVP talk.

“It's a huge accomplishment,” Harden said. “He's been playing extremely well all season long, it's never been done before it's a great individual accomplishment and it's great.”