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Russell Westbrook’s Denver Nuggets’ debut did not go well Thursday as the nine-time All-Star guard shot just 2-of-10 (1-of-6 from three) for six points en route to a 102-87 home loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC outscored Denver by 24 points during Westbrook’s 21 minutes. He did stuff the statsheet in other categories, amassing five assists, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
But this was a brutal night for the Denver reserves, which was no match for the Thunder’s strong second unit. Of note, Thunder guard Alex Caruso finished a plus-19 despite scoring zero points, and Aaron Wiggins scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Denver’s loss goes far further than Westbrook’s struggles, of course. OKC guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is supplanting himself in the MVP race, amassing 28 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals. And Thunder center Chet Holmgren is making a leap to stardom with 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals.
The Thunder defense also played great, holding Denver to 35.4 percent shooting and 7-of-39 from three.
In addition, all five Nugget starters scored in double digits, but none more than 16 points. Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic earned another triple-double (16 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds). But the offense just wasn’t productive.
Westbrook joined Denver on a two-year, $6.8 million deal last offseason, and he’s expected to be a major part of the second unit. The reserves needed a boost after starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left in free agency for the Orlando Magic and Christian Braun got the call-up to the starting five.
So Westbrook is expected to play a key role on this team. The first night did not go well, but it’s a long season, and he and the Nuggets have time to turn this around.
Until then, fans on social media provided their thoughts on Westbrook’s performance against his old team.
Lion (Mr. Unlimited) @Champ_Lion
I’m seeing people on the TL that had actual expectations for Westbrook. pic.twitter.com/5QVlv9lyZy
Denver will look to bounce back when it hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.
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