With Denver holding a one-point lead and simply 15 seconds left to play, Westbrook grabbed an errant Anthony Edwards cross and led a 2-on-1 quick break up the court docket (Twitter video link through NBA on TNT). Nevertheless, his layup try rimmed out, ensuing within the Wolves grabbing the rebound and getting off a last-second three-point try for the win.
Minnesota guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker missed the shot, however Westbrook was referred to as for a foul, which led to Alexander-Walker making the game-winning free throws with a tenth of a second left on the sport clock.
“(Westbrook is) a man that hates to lose. …He’s a perfectionist and he’s a competitor,” head coach Michael Malone instructed reporters throughout his post-game press convention. “And realizing Russ the best way I do, he’s in all probability gonna put plenty of this on him. However we misplaced tonight. The Denver Nuggets. We, as a collective group, misplaced that recreation tonight. Not one participant. He’s a professional. He’s a warrior. He’s a troublesome child. And I believe he is aware of that everyone in that locker room has bought his again.”
Malone’s assertion that Westbrook’s teammates have his again was strengthened by feedback made by star middle Nikola Jokic – who had an unbelievable 61-point triple-double – and Christian Braun.
“Why?” Jokic replied when requested if he would say one thing to Westbrook in regards to the final two performs of the sport, via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. “What occurred, it’s basketball. I’m fairly certain that he didn’t need to make a foul or no matter. It occurs. He had one of the best, I’d say, ideas. It occurs.”
“We belief (Westbrook) to take that shot 100 out of 100 occasions,” Braun added. “In order that’s not what misplaced us the sport.”
Nonetheless, Troy Renck of The Denver Post contends that Tuesday’s expensive 15-second sequence is the most recent piece of proof in favor of the Nuggets utilizing Westbrook as nothing greater than a spark-plug off the bench when their roster is totally wholesome. In response to Renck, Westbrook’s lack of “situational consciousness” – exhibited by his choice to go for a layup after the steal as a substitute of trying to kill extra time on the clock – makes him a possible legal responsibility in late-game conditions.
After primarily coming off the bench and averaging a career-low 22.5 minutes per evening final season for the Clippers, Westbrook has began 35 of 69 video games for Denver this season, along with his enjoying time bumped again as much as 28.1 MPG. The Nuggets have a -0.5 web score when he’s on the court docket, in comparison with a +9.1 mark when he’s not, prompting Renck to argue that the workforce shouldn’t be leaning on the previous MVP so closely.
Westbrook is within the first season of a two-year, minimum-salary contract that features a $3.47M participant choice for subsequent season. If he turns down that choice, he’d turn into an unrestricted free agent and the Nuggets would maintain his non-Chicken rights.
