Despite a 61-point triple-double by Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in double overtime last night, and much of the blame for the defeat has been placed at the feet of Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook made two critical mistakes in the closing moments of the 140-139 loss. First, after a Minnesota turnover with 15 seconds to go, Westbrook raced down the court and attempted — and missed — a layup with less than 11 seconds left, giving the Timberwolves the ball back with a chance to win the game.
On the other end, Westbrook then closed out on Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 3-point attempt as time expired. The shot bounced off of the rim, but Westbrook was whistled for a shooting foul, which allowed Alexander-Walker to make two of three free throws to win the game.
In the aftermath of the loss, Westbrook has received immense criticism, including from former NBA player Lou Williams, who called Westbrook’s errors “boneheaded.”
“Do you remember compound mistakes? Don’t make compound mistakes. When you do one bonehead thing, and you try to correct it and you just end up doing another bonehead thing. That was a compound mistake by Russell Westbrook,” Williams said on FanDuel’s ‘Run It Back’ show. “Time and score, obviously he’s a vet, he’s a winner, he knows how to go about business. But last night, right there when you get that steal, you’re supposed to dribble that clock out. You’re supposed to pull it out and get fouled. He even threw the pass fast to get it back for this layup. He’s supposed to know, he’s supposed to have the awareness to keep this basketball and get fouled. Then, on the other end, you’re still not matching up with anybody, leave your guy wide open for three, and then you foul him as well.”
The criticism seems sound. Although it would make sense for Westbrook to try to get two easy points, which would have increased the Nuggets’ lead to three points, it would also make sense for him to dribble the ball back out behind the 3-point line or possibly call a timeout to ensure the Nuggets could bring in their best free-throw shooters in that moment.
Westbrook’s defense on the Timberwolves’ final possession also left a lot to be desired, as he seemed to be ball-watching as Anthony Edwards drove to the basket, forcing him to cover greater distance on the closeout on Alexander-Walker.
With the loss, the Nuggets are now 47-29 and two games back of the second-place Houston Rockets in the Western Conference standings. The Timberwolves kept pace wit the Memphsi Grizzlies and are in a tie for sixth place after the victory.
The post Lou Williams drops ‘bonehead’ take on Russell Westbrook’s mistakes in Nuggets loss appeared first on ClutchPoints.
