Nuggets' Russell Westbrook fires striking message to Nets after thrilling win

10/29/2024 10:52 PM

The Denver Nuggets’ decision to sign Russell Westbrook this past offseason was a polarizing one. While there’s no doubt about how impactful Westbrook can be off the court, it was fair to question how well he’d fit in on a Nuggets team that doesn’t have many shooters. And his first three games with the team justified these concerns, as he entered Denver’s Tuesday night contest against the Brooklyn Nets averaging just 5.7 points on 20 percent shooting from the field.

With the Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back, there was no better time for Westbrook to give Denver life amid their struggles to begin the year. And that’s exactly what he did. He stayed aggressive and attacked the paint, and he ended up with 22 points and five assists on 5-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 10-10 from the foul line in a 144-139 Nuggets win.

In addition to his solid scoring game, Westbrook also gave the Nuggets a bit of an edge on the hardwood as he jawed towards the Nets players all night long. Now 35 years old, Westbrook can certainly teach a masterclass on how to bring a certain level of competitiveness on a nightly basis.

“They learned the hard way. I’m one of the most competitive to play the game. When they wanna raise the level, I raise my level [as well]. Simple as that,” Westbrook said following the game, via Altitude TV on X (formerly Twitter).

"They learned the hard way"

Westbrook on the competitiveness of the game pic.twitter.com/mknFVrniog

— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) October 30, 2024

Westbrook did engage in some banter with former teammate Dennis Schroder, which seemed playful more than anything. But he was clearly fired up by the trash talk from Nets forward Ziaire Williams. In the end, it was him and the Nuggets that got the last laugh in overtime.

The Nuggets’ bench has given them next to nothing for the first three games of the season, so this night from Westbrook is a promising sign that their reserve corps may not be a lost cause after all.

Russell Westbrook sheds washed-up allegations in Nuggets OT win

There is no denying that Russell Westbrook is no longer the player he once was. Even in his good game against the Nets, he had his shot attempts at the rim blocked on multiple occasions. He even blew an open dunk in the fourth quarter. But it’s hard to deny his impact in a win that feels very important for the Nuggets given how they began the season.

Westbrook did have more freedom to play his game on Tuesday night; he had the ball in his hands a lot more often, and the whistle finally blew in his favor. Moreover, he was perfect from the charity stripe — patching up one of his biggest weaknesses over the past few seasons.

There is a bit of concern in that the Nuggets needed overtime to beat both the Nets and Toronto Raptors — two teams expected to be bottom-dwellers this season. But a win is a win, and Westbrook played a huge part in ensuring that they swept this back-to-back set.

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