Nuggets Make Russell Westbrook Decision Amid Aaron Gordon Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By JH Kubicek | Last updated Mar 2, 2025 2:18 PM ET

In the marquee Sunday 1:00 PM EST game, which is nationally-televised, the Denver Nuggets travelled to take on the Boston Celtics. For the second game in a row, forward Aaron Gordon will not suit up, and the Nuggets have opted to go small.

Russell Westbrook, after lousy stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers, has landed as a key role player for the Nuggets and is one of the most underrated offseason pickups this season. He and Nikola Jokic seem to have remarkable chemistry, and he is a big reason why Denver is currently second in the Western Conference.

With Gordon out, the Nuggets opted to start Westrbook over backup forward Zeke Nnaji. Westbrook is the better player and has more experience, and Denver has found success in small-ball lineups.

Denver is 19-8 in the games Westbrook has started, and he has averaged 14.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and seven assists in those games. His field goal percentage has also skyrocketed with the starting lineup, although that could be credited to Jokic's ability to set his teammates up.

Since the Oklahoma City Thunder slowly lost their Big Three of Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, only Durant has won the Finals, doing so twice with the Golden State Warriors. Harden and Westbrook, meanwhile, haven't even made the Finals since the Thunder fell to the Miami Heat in 2012, and it looks like Westbrook's Nuggets have a better chance this year than Harden's Clippers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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