The Denver Nuggets were barely beaten by the Minnesota Timberwolves in double overtime Tuesday night, and many people are blaming Russell Westbrook.
Because of a few late-game decisions from Westbrook, including fouling the Timberwolves in the final seconds, the Nuggets lost.
Following the game, head coach Michael Malone spoke about Westbrook, calling him “a guy that hates to lose” and a “perfectionist.”
Malone knows some people will cast blame on Westbrook, but he stood up for his star.
“Knowing Russ the way I do, he’s probably going to put a lot of this on him. But we lost tonight, the Denver Nuggets. Not one player,” Malone said, per DNVR Nuggets.
Michael Malone: "I know who Russell Westbrook is. He's a guy that hates to lose…he's a perfectionist."
"Knowing Russ the way I do, he's probably going to put a lot of this on him. But we lost tonight, the Denver Nuggets. Not one player." pic.twitter.com/VyIhoX7mXJ
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 2, 2025
This is a very painful loss for the Nuggets, and it would be easy to look at Westbrook’s decisions and claim he is the sole reason they were taken down.
But Malone has a point when he says that the entire team lost, not just one player.
If the game wasn’t so close, Westbrook’s mistakes wouldn’t have mattered as much.
Malone knows it wasn’t just one decision that led to this defeat and is attempting to protect Westbrook.
The Nuggets remain the third seed in the West, but the Los Angeles Lakers are right behind them, so every game matters at this point.
For the season, Westbrook is averaging 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on 45.3 percent.
For the most part, fans are happy with what they have seen from the nine-time All-Star, although they accept he still makes mistakes at times.
For Tuesday’s game, Westbrook put up 12 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, which are good numbers, although most people will only pay attention to his final seconds of the game.
NEXT: Michael Malone Is Going Viral For Actions After Lakers Game