Nuggets' Russell Westbrook has full-circle moment with Jalen Green in loss to Rockets
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On Wednesday night, Russell Westbrook took on a heavier workload than usual for the Denver Nuggets amid Nikola Jokic’s injury. Jokic, of course, is as big of an absence as anyone, and with Jalen Green leading the charge for the Houston Rockets with another hyper-efficient scoring night (34 points on 10-16 shooting from the field), the Nuggets fell flat en route to a 128-108 defeat.
In the middle of the game, Green was feeling himself, and perhaps rightfully so considering how on fire he has been as of late. The Rockets guard ended up talking some smack towards Westbrook’s direction, which caught the Nuggets guard a bit by surprise since it wasn’t that long ago that Green was one of the best players for the 2017 NBA MVP’s “Why Not” AAU team.
“God damn boy! He used to play on my AAU team talking to me like I'm a little a** kid,” Westbrook said as he chirped to the Rockets bench about Green, via @TheWestbrookEra on X, formerly Twitter.
"God damn boy. He used to play on my AAU team talking to me like I'm a little ass kid".
Russ talking to Jalen Green LMFAO pic.twitter.com/2XvbspmO6a
— 08-17 Russ fan (@TheWestbrookEra) January 16, 2025
Time moves so quickly; it was only back in 2019 when Green was a part of Westbrook’s AAU team, but now, the Rockets guard is a grown man who’s on an upward trajectory in his career. Meanwhile, the Nuggets guard has undergone his fair share of career difficulties since that time, although he’s found a new lease in life in the Mile High City, striking an incredible partnership with reigning MVP Jokic.
Jalen Green made his debut for Russell Westbrook's Why Not AAU team this weekend @JalenRomande @NikeEYBpic.twitter.com/N0TaGvgTUT
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 12, 2019
The fun thing about watching the Nuggets guard play, even in his older age, is that he has no friends on the court other than his teammates as long as there is a single second left on the game clock. So even though Westbrook acts as some sort of an uncle towards Green, he is not backing down from any challenge, hence this full-circle moment.
Jalen Green and Russell Westbrook duel in lopsided Rockets win over Nuggets
Jalen Green has been a new man ever since the calendar flipped to 2025. Coming off an incredible 42-point outing against the Memphis Grizzlies in which he shot 13-18 from the field, the Rockets guard cannot miss yet again on Wednesday night, proving to be the catalyst in yet another win for Houston.
Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook may have done his best, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Nuggets from getting blown out. Westbrook put up 17 points and four assists on the night, which is far from his best relative to his performances as of late, but it was always going to be difficult for them to win on the second night of a back to back while being without their best player.
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