Russell Westbrook Had Strong Words for Nikola Jokić After Nuggets Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 6, 2025 8:55 AM ET

The Western Conference semifinal series between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder features the top two MVP candidates this season: Nikola Jokić of the Nuggets and Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander is a strong favorite to win the regular season MVP award, but if he doesn't, Jokic will almost certainly win it.

In Game 1 on Monday, both superstars played very well, but Jokic one-upped Gilgeous-Alexander with 42 points, 22 rebounds and six assists. He spearheaded a furious late comeback that resulted in a surprising 121-119 Denver victory.

Russell Westbrook helped out off the bench with 18 points, and afterward, he made a simple but powerful statement about Jokic.

"The best player on earth," Westbrook said.

Russ had high praise for Jokic following his 40/20/5 performance

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Gilgeous-Alexander posted 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and for most of the evening, it looked like the Thunder, who won 68 games during the regular season, would cruise to victory.

They led 115-106 with three minutes to go, but that's when Jokic started to flex. He scored seven of the eight unanswered points Denver had to come to within one point with 1:07 left.

With 9.1 seconds left, Denver, which trailed 119-118, fouled Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, who missed both ensuing free throws. Christian Braun grabbed the rebound, and Westbrook pushed the ball downcourt and found Aaron Gordon for the game-winning 3-pointer.

Jokic became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double during the regular season. If he loses out on the MVP award, it's safe to say he would gladly settle for a world championship trophy, which would be his second.

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

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