It was all smiles for Russell Westbrook as he helped carry the Nuggets to another impressive victory at Ball Arena. This time, it came over the Atlanta Hawks and the veteran guard had a lot to say after it was all said and done.
“He’s the best player in the world,” said Westbrook after the buzzer. “My job is to make the game easy for him, and he does it for everybody else. And it’s a pleasure to be able to share the floor with him.”
When asked how the team can maintain the defensive intensity they showed down the stretch of this game, Westbrook pointed to accountability.
“We just have to hold each other accountable,” said Westbrook. “Starting with myself, just defend from the first tip-off to the end of the buzzer. Tonight we did a good job of turning it up in the third quarter and it helped us out with a win.”
The Nuggets have been struggling to live up to their standards this season but Westbrook’s play has helped them secure some quality wins to move back up the standings. In their latest victory over the Hawks, Russ dropped 16 points, 11 assists, and 2 rebounds on 5-6 shooting.
Westbrook was +24 in 26 minutes and helped the Nuggets shoot a whopping 56.4% from the field (for 139 points). While this game may have been an outlier for the Nuggets in terms of shooting, they’ve been much-improved offensively since Westbrook was added to the starting lineup.
After 17 years in the NBA, Westbrook finally landed in the right situation with the Nuggets, who have embraced what he brings to the floor. Alongside Nikola Jokic, Westbrook is creating incredible looks for the Nuggets and he’s thriving in the backcourt playing off Jamal Murray.
This season, through 32 games, Westbrook is averaging 12.1 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game on 44.7% shooting. After failed stints with the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, and Clippers, Westbroom signed with the Nuggets this past summer with no expectations for the future. But so far, it’s worked out better than they could have imagined.
The key now for Denver is ensuring that this play is sustainable through the whole season. After parting ways with several key role-players, Westbrook certainly hopes to fill the void they left behind but they’ll likely need more if they want to compete with the likes of the Thunder, Grizzlies, and Rockets in the West.
Of course, with Nikola Jokic and championship experience, the Nuggets are more equipped than most to make another title run. With or without Westbrook, the players have full belief in their chances and they will do whatever it takes to be successful.
Fortunately, Russ’ resurgence has evened the odds and they find themselves back in the title picture once again. At 4th in the West this season, the Nuggets still have a long way to go but they are much-improved from earlier this season when panic mode was setting in.
The next game for the Nuggets is on January 3rd, at Ball Arena, against the San Antonio Spurs (9:00 PM EST). The next night, they play the Spurs again at 8:00 PM EST at Frost Bank Center before returning to Ball Arena to face the Boston Celtics at 10:00 PM EST.
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