The Denver Nuggets went into their Monday night matchup against the red-hot Golden State Warriors without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, or Christian Braun. It did not matter. Russell Westbrook led the way for the Nuggets' decisive 114-105 win over the Warriors. One of his teammates made sure Westbrook heard him after the game.
The all-time great point guard delivered a classic performance that many fans are used to seeing from him in the win. Westbrook dropped a triple-double, with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 16 assists. The Nuggets guarded added to his all-time record in triple-doubles, posting the 203rd of his career in the win.
Peyton Watson was one of the beneficiaries of Westbrook's strong performance. The Nuggets wing dropped 13 points as a member of the starting lineup alongside Russ.
After the game was over, Watson ensured that Westbrook was well aware of the admiration that he had for him.
**"It's still surreal playing with him after watching him for so many years before I got to the league. I really have a new level of appreciation for his intensity, his work ethic, and him just staying true to himself at all times.
You saw it out there tonight, he's a super valuable piece for our team and he helped lead us to a win tonight. So super, super big hats off to Russ and I love playing with him."**
-Peyton Watson
Russell Westbrook tallies career triple-double #203
Nuggets leading late on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/notsB8kPjj
— NBA (@NBA) March 18, 2025
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With the Nuggets resting several key players for this one, Westbrook proved once again that he is still capable of stepping into an expanded role when necessary. It was something that Denver found out pretty quickly this season when Braun went down with an injury and Westbrook was elevated to the starting lineup at the time.
The Nuggets continue to keep pace in the race for the second seed. Denver holds the same record as the Houston Rockets, 44-25, with the Los Angeles Lakers right on the heels of both teams at 42-25.
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This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 9:10 AM.