Russell Westbrook takes shot at Thunder after Nuggets' big win

11/07/2024 09:53 AM

The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise will forever hold a special place in Russell Westbrook’s heart. But at the moment, Westbrook’s heart is with the Denver Nuggets, and on the hardwood, Westbrook doesn’t have any concept of friendship if it isn’t with his teammates. He is going to do his best to snatch the soul of whomever stands in the way of him and a victory, and on Wednesday night, Westbrook turned in a season-best 29-point effort to help lead the Nuggets to a come-from-behind 124-122 win over the Thunder.

Westbrook is the embodiment of the “us against the world” sports mentality, and he made sure to talk up the Nuggets after they dealt the Thunder their first loss of the season — saying that, despite what the standings may show, he feels as though Denver has the better squad.

“Right now, they got the best record, but I feel like we got a better team, and tonight we showed that,” Westbrook told Vic Lombardi of Altitude TV in his postgame interview.

“Right now, they got the best record, but I feel like we got a better team, and tonight we showed that.”

Russell Westbrook after the Nuggets handed the Thunder their first loss of the season

(via @AltitudeTV)pic.twitter.com/UHmVHg00sH

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 7, 2024

Of course, Westbrook would not say anything else. It’s not as if he’s going to dampen the Nuggets’ positive mood following a resounding win over one of the favorites to win it all by saying that the Thunder, indeed, have the better roster. Westbrook is someone who rides or dies with the team he’s playing for, and he’s already representing the Nuggets with beaming pride, making him an incredible ambassador for the franchise.

Westbrook has always been one of those players whose value is greatly appreciated when media members and team personnel get to work with him much more closely, and the Nuggets media, fanbase, and locker room is certainly discovering what it means to have the 35-year-old guard in their corner.

But now, Westbrook’s contributions off the court and his overall positive effect on the team is being matched by his contributions on the hardwood. And with the Nuggets still weathering the absences of both Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, the improvement in Westbrook’s play could not have come at a better time.

Nuggets may be one piece away from return to true title contention

One of the major concerns surrounding the Nuggets heading into the season was their floor-spacing. Last season, despite having Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the roster, the Nuggets were the 30th-ranked team in terms of threes attempted per game. Now, without a one-for-one Caldwell-Pope replacement, the Nuggets have had to rely on Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and Aaron Gordon to provide some outside marksmanship.

This has made the Nuggets’ spacing that much more cramped; even though those three have been shooting well, they don’t command too much attention on the perimeter, allowing the opposition to cramp the paint. This is in contrast to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team with shooters across multiple positions that then make operating in space possible for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

The Nuggets may have to acquire another 3-and-D player within the next few months so they could back up Westbrook’s claim that they have the better team that the Thunder.

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