The Nuggets defeated the Nets with a score of 124 to 105 in an intense game, earning them the nickname "Six Double Brothers" from fans for both Westbrook and Jokic achieving triple-doubles. Westbrook played for 36 minutes, scoring 25 points, grabbing 11 rebounds (including four offensive rebounds), dishing out 10 assists, and adding one steal and one block, with a plus-minus of +21.
With this game, Westbrook's career triple-double count has reached 202, once again breaking his own record on the NBA triple-double list. Jokic was also highly efficient, shooting 14 for 21, scoring 35 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out 15 assists, and adding four steals. Even Perkins, known for his sharp tongue, couldn't help but exclaim, "Westbrook is truly the second-best player on the Nuggets now."
The data supports this point; when Westbrook starts, the team's win rate is as high as 75%, ranking third in the league. The top two are Darius Garland from the Eastern Conference (88.9%) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Western Conference (83.8%).
B also compiled some statistics for Westbrook's starting appearances, totaling 16 games with an average of 14.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 2 steals per game, with a shooting percentage of 52.9% and a cumulative plus-minus of +98. Westbrook himself is confident, saying, "For my teammates, I'm willing to do all the dirty work. I want to defend from 1 to 5 every night and guard the best player on the other team every night."
Few could have imagined that Westbrook, on a $3.5 million base salary, would deliver the most reasonable performance of his career, playing reasonably and fully committing to defense. Many fans commented on news about Westbrook, saying, "This is the right way to play for Westbrook, letting him control the game instead of just waiting in the corner to shoot three-pointers."
Despite the Nuggets' less-than-stellar start to the season, the combination of a reasonable Westbrook and peak Jokic gives fans hope. How many seasons has Westbrook not had a chance at the championship? This season, the path to the championship seems to be within reach. While he's still at the top of his game, let's give it another shot! Come on, young master!