Over the past few seasons, life without Nikola Jokic has been extremely difficult for the Denver Nuggets. But with Jokic out for the third consecutive game due to personal reasons, the Nuggets will have to dig deep within themselves if they were to keep their hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup alive. And on Tuesday night, they got good performances from multiple players in their 122-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies — with future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook making history in the process.
Thrust into a larger overall role with Jokic out, Westbrook delivered a vintage stat-sheet stuffing game. The Nuggets guard tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists for his first triple-double of the season. This gives him 200 triple-doubles for his career, making him the first player in NBA history to reach the 200 triple-double mark, as noted by StatMuse on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Westbrook was already the all-time leader in triple-doubles (he has owned this distinction since 2021, when he tallied the 182nd triple-double of his career back when he was with the Washington Wizards), and this only increases the gap between him and the number two player on the all-time rankings (Oscar Robertson with 181).
The Nuggets needed a big-time infusion of energy on Tuesday if they were to return to winning ways after their two straight defeats amid Jokic’s absence. If there’s anything Westbrook provides, it’s hustle, effort, and a competitive fire that no one can extinguish. And even if he may no longer be the player he once was when he was in his prime, games like the one he had on Tuesday shows that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank — as long as he doesn’t overdo anything.
Russell Westbrook, Nuggets get back to winning ways
The Nuggets did not start the 2024-25 season off on the best of notes. It was clear that their spacing was not as good as it has been in years past, and Russell Westbrook himself struggled quite mightily with shooting the ball. Having Nikola Jokic, however, is quite the panacea. Jokic decided to up his game even further, dominating any and all opposition by tallying four straight monster triple-doubles on exceptional shooting efficiency before his current three-game absence.
It then became apparent that the Nuggets will be needing Jokic back as soon as possible after suffering two consecutive disappointing defeats to a shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans team and a Grizzlies squad without Ja Morant. But on Tuesday night, the entire Nuggets team showed up as they improved to 8-5 on the season.
Westbrook will be garnering the headlines for his historic triple-double feat, but it was a team effort that got the Nuggets across the finish line. Five different players scored in double figures, with Jamal Murray dropping a game-high 27 points. Even Dario Saric, who was out of the rotation when Jokic was active, had his moment, nailing the three that gave the Nuggets an insurmountable lead.
The Nuggets will have two full days of rest before they resume NBA Cup action on Friday night in what should be a barnburner against the Dallas Mavericks.
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