The visiting Denver Nuggets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 122-111 on Saturday in the second of two games played between the two clubs. Nikola Jokic scored 46 points, including the first seven in overtime. However, it was his teammate, Russell Westbrook that has been garnering attention from the NBA community lately for his performance.
Over the past few matches, Westbrook has been outstanding for the Nuggets side. He has been praised by the Nuggets fans for his approach to the game. However, this time around, Westbrook did not look like himself. He had a poor performance in general and capped it off with a poor ‘open layup’ miss which sent the NBA community wild.
Russ. 😅
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 5, 2025
Along with Jokic’s 46 points, Russell Westbrook pulled down 10 boards and Jamal Murray scored 13 points for the Nuggets. Also, Michael Porter Jr. contributed 28 points and 10 rebounds. For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama scored 20 points and pulled down a career-high 23 rebounds, while Harrison Barnes led San Antonio with 22 points.
Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle, and Julian Champagnie each scored ten points, while Devin Vassell contributed nineteen. Interestingly, the Spurs prevailed 113-110 in Denver on Friday to start the home-and-home series. Despite having to put in an additional five minutes to win Saturday, the Nuggets won this time around, winning four of their last five games overall.
Fans left stunned after witnessing Russell Westbrook’s open layup miss
San Antonio Spurs gave Nikola Jokic a double-team when he was defending Spurs sensation Victor Wembanyama. Seeing what was going on, Russell Westbrook cut to the basket and produced a high-IQ basketball move. Jokic picked him for what should have been a simple layup when he was wide open.
Westbrook air-balled from the closest range, that is.
This left the NBA world stunned, as they could not believe what they had witnessed from a top professional on the court. Many fans took to various social media apps to put forward their views and opinions on Westbrook’s blunder. One fan wrote on X, “lebron’s fault still?” Check out some of the reactions below:
lebron’s fault still? https://t.co/XKaGl1srFo
— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) January 5, 2025
“Yet another player thriving elsewhere after leaving the shackles of LeBron” https://t.co/O3uHQT2QvU
— Juan LG (@JustLakerGame) January 5, 2025
Seen this movie before
— Lane 😶🌫️ (@ADCookedYou) January 5, 2025
Why am I not surprised? 🤣
— Max Lopez (@maxij84) January 5, 2025
westbrook is fitting in so nicely with the nuggets, but these kinda plays will still happen from time to time 😭😭🤷🏻♂️
— sushi pizza 👾 (@sushixpizza) January 5, 2025
Airball a layup 🤣
— Joshua (@Choppacity288) January 5, 2025
time for him to retire
— Nicoh (@lovenicoh) January 5, 2025
This season, Westbrook has been playing exceptionally well. This includes his greatest three-point shooting percentage (31.9%) since the Washington Wizards’ 2020–21 campaign. One bad game won’t take away his consistent top performances for the Nuggets as a rotation-type player. All eyes will shift to his next matches in the league.
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