Russell Westbrook Made NBA History in Nuggets-Suns Christmas Game

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The Denver Nuggets fell to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night by a final score of 110-100. This game wrapped up the NBA’s Christmas Day slate that included several exciting matchups.
Following a classic between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors that featured big time performances from LeBron James and Steph Curry, this Nuggets-Suns contest also saw NBA legends have big games.
Scoring 27 points in the winning effort, Suns forward Kevin Durant matched his star teammate Bradley Beal for the game-high in scoring. On Denver’s side, it was Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook who helped lead the charge.

Finishing with 17 points and six rebounds off the bench, Westbrook complemented the 25 points and 15 rebounds Jokic turned in. Climbing up the Christmas Day ranks, Westbrook also made NBA history in this game.
Via NBA: “Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for becoming the first player ever to 500 PTS on Christmas Day, and to @russwest44 of the @nuggets for moving up to 6th all-time in PTS on Christmas Day!”
Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for becoming the first player ever to 500 PTS on Christmas Day, and to @russwest44 of the @nuggets for moving up to 6th all-time in PTS on Christmas Day! pic.twitter.com/Aizxphpip9
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2024
Now 6th all-time in points on Christmas, Westbrook passed his former teammate James Harden on this exclusive list. Building a strong Sixth Man of the Year case, Westbrook is averaging 12.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in just 25.9 minutes per game.
Westbrook and the Nuggets will play again on Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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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.