
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone showed major respect for everything Russell Westbrook has brought to the group following Monday’s 132-121 road win vs. the Utah Jazz (16 points/10 rebounds/10 assists/zero turnovers/4 steals/7-7 FG/2-2 FT/+23 +/-).
*second player in NBA history to record a triple-double with no turnovers and shoot 100% from both the field and free throw line*
(via Denver Nuggets):
“8-2 (as a starter), and that speaks to his impact. He had a possession late, he was all over the place, all over the place, flying around. 17-year vet, 35-years-old. And then, he ultimately got the steal and finished in transition. 16 points, 10 boards, 10 assists, 7-7 from the field. And he came in here. This is a guy who’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game, and what I admire so much about him aside from the leadership and toughness that he brings every single day, is he’s got no ego.
“He says, ‘I’m playing with that guy. I’m gonna play through him. I’m gonna make him better. And if I do that, that means I’m doing my job to help this team win.’ He came here for one reason, and that’s to help us win a championship. He hates to lose, and that’s what I also love about him is that he’s built the right way. I’ll go to war with Russell Westbrook any day.”