Russell Westbrook goes off on fans who 'only watch the TV game' and criticize Nuggets

03/06/2025 10:48 PM

Russell Westbrook isn’t holding back about NBA fans who form opinions based solely on the Denver Nuggets’ national television appearances.

Following Denver’s 116-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Westbrook addressed the wave of criticism that’s followed the team’s disappointing 5-9 record in nationally televised games this season. The Nuggets have formed a bad habit of putting up poor showings in nationally televised games. These have included embarrassing losses to the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, just to name a few.

Westbrook stood in defense of the Nuggets, but also encouraged fans to look at the bigger picture.

“Obviously some people only watch the (national) TV games, so they watched the Boston game, and everybody has a comment,” said Westbrook, via the Denver Nuggets’ YouTube channel. “But throughout the year, consistently, I didn't hear any of this talk before. Now all of a sudden it's like, oh, we lose to the Lakers … everybody's losing their mind.

“And personally, internally, we don't panic. Play the right way. … Get stops. Run in transition. Because we're the best transition team in the league. So when we get stops, you can't load up (on Jokic) then. So our defense has gotta help our offense.”

Russell Westbrook committed to feeding Nikola Jokic

The 36-year-old Westbrook remains adamant about getting the ball to Nikola Jokic despite opposing defenses increasingly packing the paint against the three-time MVP.

“The best player on the court, in the world, is Nikola Jokic. So I’ll turn it over 20 times trying to pass him the ball. I don’t really care,” Westbrook emphasized. “It’s our job as a supporting cast to make sure we help make the game easier for him.”

Russell Westbrook on balancing shooting vs. attacking the Jokić-centric gameplan:

"Some people only watch the TV game, so they watch the Boston game, and everybody has a comment."
…
"It's bigger than just three-point percentages and three-point shots." pic.twitter.com/wJCbwfjG5m

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) March 6, 2025

Denver sits third in the NBA in three-point percentage (38%) and second from the corners (43.4%). The catch, though, is that they attempt fewer threes than any other team. Westbrook himself is shooting 44.3% from the corners this season.

Despite the Nuggets having one of the higher three-point percentages in the league, Russell Westbrook says basketball is much more than just shooting threes.

“It's not just about shooting 3s,” said Westbrook. “I think that there's a lot happening in the game, and I think people outside of the game of basketball don't truly understand that it's not just about, 'Walk up. He's playing off. Shoot the three.' Like, that's not a real thing. Watch the game; you'll understand how the game goes, how people are guarding, why they're doing it, who they're doing it to. It's bigger than just 3-point percentage and 3-point shots.”

The Nuggets have some uncertainty, but they are in third place in the Western Conference standings. At 40-22, the Nuggets face a daunting next few games against the Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

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