Russell Westbrook celebrated a historic night as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Dallas Mavericks 113-107 on Saturday at Golden 1 Center. The 37-year-old guard scored 21 points, added nine assists and five rebounds, and passed Magic Johnson for seventh on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 10,149.
On passing Magic, Westbrook said, “Magic is one of the greats… Growing up in inner-city Los Angeles, Magic did a lot for the underserved, continued to do a lot… I’m grateful to be able to pass him just because he’s such a legend in so many different ways.”
Westbrook also reflected on his career achievements: “Never in my life… I grew up wanting to play football… Things happen so fast for me, and I always knew if given opportunity to be somebody I would take full advantage of it. Every time I step on the floor I don’t take anything for granted.”
The veteran guard highlighted rookie Nique Clifford’s development: “He’s learning, the game is now slowing down for him a little bit. The biggest thing I always talk to him about is impacting the game… He has so many great years ahead of himself, and he’s going to be a great player.”
Westbrook addressed his improved three-point shooting this season: “I feel great. I put the work in every day, so I’m confident when I’m open and knock it down. I’ll continue putting the work in and knocking them down.”
Discussing which accolades matter most, he said, “I don’t know if there’s one in particular that is more than the other. If I’m able to be on the floor and break more, I’ll continue breaking as many as I can.”
On continuing his career at age 37, Westbrook stated, “I just take day by day. I make sure I take care of my body and play at a high level… I’ll keep going until I feel like I had enough.”
Westbrook also reflected on the influence of his football background on his playing style: “I used to get so many charges, run people over, jump… That aggression came from my football mentality. I played running back and linebacker, so I like to hit.”
Sacramento relied heavily on perimeter shooting, finishing 17-of-38 from three-point range. Keon Ellis contributed 21 points, Maxime Raynaud added 19, and Dennis Schroder chipped in 10 points off the bench. Dallas cut the deficit to 111-107 with nine seconds left, but DeMar DeRozan’s free throws sealed the victory.
The Kings improved to 8-23, marking their third win in the past 13 games, while extending their winning streak against Dallas to four consecutive meetings. Sacramento will travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Sunday, and Dallas heads to Portland on Monday.
