Inside The Nuggets

Nikola Jokic's Russell Westbrook Statement After Nuggets-Hawks

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic praised his teammates after defeating the Atlanta Hawks.
Joey Linn|
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) gets interviewed after the game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) gets interviewed after the game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. | Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

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The Denver Nuggets got back in the win column on Sunday night, defeating the Atlanta Hawks after falling to the Washington Wizards on Saturday. That loss to Washington was a bad one for Denver, as the Wizards entered that contest on a 16-game losing streak.

Not only did the Nuggets lose to Washington, but they did so despite a 56-point performance from Nikola Jokic. Following that game with 48 points on Sunday, Jokic continued what has been a historically great start to the year. 

Speaking on the broadcast after the game, Jokic got honest about what changed for his team from Saturday’s loss to Sunday’s victory. 

“I think for the first time in a long time we held a team under 120 points,” Jokic said. “We played good. We scored a lot of points, of course. The energy was better… The whole energy was a little bit better than yesterday.”

Jokic also went out of his way to specifically mention the play of Russell Westbrook and Julian Strawther. Starting for the injured Jamal Murray, Westbrook had nine points, 11 assists, two steals, and one block. Strawther added 13 points off the bench on 5/6 shooting.

“Julian is playing really good, Russ is playing really good,” Jokic said. “… It was a good win for us.”

Jokic also emphasized that the ball is finding him right now, which he credited for the 104 points he has scored the last two games.

“The ball is finding me,” Jokic said. “The ball is going in most of the time.”

Westbrook has made it an emphasis to find Jokic in the post, which has visibly made life easier on the three-time MVP. 

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.

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