The Denver Nuggets have been struggling to maintain their playoff positioning lately.
They had lost nine of their last 15 games, and they’re now in danger of possibly falling beneath the fourth spot in the Western Conference and not having home-court advantage in any round of the playoffs.
On Friday, they lost a game with heavy postseason implications to the Golden State Warriors, 118-104, but they did provide a highlight-film worthy moment. In the first quarter, Nikola Jokić, while posting up, threw a behind-the-back assist to a cutting Russell Westbrook, who scored a layup.
Nikola Jokic casually flips yet another of his incredible, patented no-look-backwards-over-the-head assists, this one to Russell Westbrook inside for the layup#Nuggets #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/c5sIH3Zw7G
— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) April 5, 2025
Jokic posted the type of excellent stat line people have come to expect from him: 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, nine assists and two steals. However, Westbrook struggled, as he made just two of his nine shot attempts and committed four turnovers in 20 minutes.
The Nuggets superstar center is on his way to becoming just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. Through 66 games, he has put up 29.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists a game this season.
Dec 3, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball as Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) guards in the second quarter at Ball Arena.
© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
One of those other two players to average a triple-double for an entire season, of course, was Westbrook, who did so four times in five years.