OKLAHOMA CITY – Russell Westbrook had yet another magic moment in Oklahoma City.
This time, it was for the visitors.
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Westbrook assisted on Aaron Gordon’s game-winning 3-pointer, and the Denver Nuggets stunned the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 121-119 on Monday night.
Westbrook scored 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting and was a key support player for Nikola Jokic’s monster 42-point, 22-rebound performance.
It was Westbrook’s first playoff game in Oklahoma City as an opponent. He started his career with the Thunder and was revered by their fans for keeping the team competitive after Kevin Durant left to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
He had returned as an opponent in the regular season and had been cheered. Even in a playoff game he entered as a reserve in the first quarter, he received a loud standing ovation.
By the end of the night, he gave the fans a painful reminder of why he meant so much to them.
“I’m always grateful, truly,” he said. “You get into these fans, the people here. They gave me a chance, they believed in me when I was a little young teenager. ... The reason they love me is my competitive nature, competitive spirit, and I’m going to do that for my team.”
Westbrook didn’t fully resemble the 2017 league MVP and two-time scoring champion who averaged a triple-double for three different seasons in a Thunder uniform. But he did enough to help the Nuggets rally from a double-digit deficit late.
Westbrook said experience was critical.
“It’s important,” he said. “Some things you just can’t teach. You know, just knowing what’s going on in the game, knowing, reading. You just kind of just go with the flow. Experience is a big part of this time of year. And, you know, I’m blessed to be able to be a part of the team, you know, with the experience that we do have.”
The crowd finally cheered against Westbrook when he missed a free throw with 2:18 remaining. The fans cheered again when he missed a 3-pointer that could have given Denver the lead in the final minute.
Westbrook fouled Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren with the Thunder up one and with 9.5 seconds remaining, but Holmgren missed both free throws, setting up the final sequence. Westbrook put pressure on the defense in the middle of the floor, then found Gordon, who made the shot over the 7-foot-1 Holmgren.
Gordon appreciated Westbrook trusting him.
“It’s nice to have it all culminate on a game winner, but it really comes down to my teammates, like Russ making a great play and finding me in transition and in rhythm, on time, on target,” Gordon said. “It helps when you have a Hall of Fame passer passing it to you.”
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