The Denver Nuggets picked up a huge Game 4 win, even though they were playing without standout sixth man Russell Westbrook, but the veteran point guard still made a statement in his Game 5 return.
To help lead the Nuggets to a Game 5 win, Westbrook dropped 21 points on 8-15 shooting from the field and 3-6 from three-point range off the bench. Many fans continue to count out the 2017 NBA MVP winner, but Westbrook keeps proving them wrong, and he came up huge for the Clippers on Tuesday night.
Russell Westbrook tonight;
21 Points
8/15 FGM
3/6 3PM
2/2 FTM pic.twitter.com/kBnYRARkXT— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 30, 2025
Not only did Westbrook have a great performance in Game 5, but he also climbed up some historic leaderboards.
In Tuesday’s win, Westbrook reached 1,023 career field goals in the playoffs, passing Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce for 34th place on the NBA’s all-time leaderboard. Westbrook also made his 126th career playoff appearance, passing Dwight Howard and Bobby Jones for 93rd place on that historic list.
Westbrook has had a decorated career with nine All-Star appearances, two scoring titles, three assist titles, an MVP award, and NBA 75th Anniversary Team honors, but the veteran point guard has yet to win a championship.
The 36-year-old star has only made one NBA Finals appearance in his career, but now playing alongside three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, he has as good of a chance as ever to finally add that trophy to his collection.
The Nuggets will look to ride their momentum into Game 6 back in LA on Thursday, as they try to finish the series and advance to the second round.
