Russell Westbrook and the Denver Nuggets hosted the defending champs, the Boston Celtics, without Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon. As expected, the Nuggets fell to the Celtics, despite a terrific performance from Westbrook.
The 36-year-old point guard led Denver with a team-high 26 points and 9 rebounds, in addition to 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, all while having a 64.4% true shooting percentage. It was, perhaps, his finest performance this season if only he didn’t turn the ball over eight times. Yes, Brodie had 8 turnovers. TOs and bad shot selection have long been Westbrook’s shortcomings, but we can never deny he always plays with intensity and passion. The former MVP has always given it his all, heck even put in 110% each time he goes out on the floor. After 17 seasons, he’s still working harder than everybody else.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum admired Westbrook’s love of the game. In a post-game interview, Tatum gave this remark: “Love Russ to death”, and then implied how honored he is to play with one of the best basketball players in history.
A multitude of fans are also having mixed reactions towards Westbrook’s terrific game against Boston. However, the majority believe that Westbrook is having a great season, despite being called “old” and “washed”. Although he’s not putting up massive numbers anymore, it’s undeniable that he fits with Jokic and Denver seamlessly.
An exceptional leader off the bench, a wonderful locker room presence, a great athlete who plays with heart, and a veteran who can still produce at a high level? Yep, that’s Russell Westbrook, for sure!
