Monday saw two NBA playoff games with epic comebacks by huge underdogs. One of those was the Denver Nuggets using an Aaron Gordon
three-pointer to secure a two-point win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now in his 17th season, Russell Westbrook has had tons of playoff experience. Yesterday was his 129th career playoff game, and the Nuggets point guard moved into the top 30 on the career playoff
scoring list.
Russell Westbrook Moves Into Top 30 In Career Playoff Points
Russell Westbrook Now Has 30th Most Playoff Points
Down 11 points with just 4:31 remaining, the Nuggets outscored 19-6 the rest of the outing, earning a 121-119 win. It was a surprising win
for a Denver team going up against an OKC team that had the best point differential in NBA history and swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the
opening round. Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals series will take place on Wednesday.
In the victory, Westbrook tallied 18 points on 7 13 shooting from the field in his 31 minutes off the bench. Those 18 points that he scored give him 2,984 career points in the postseason. He is now in 30th place on the all-time NBA list for playoff points.
Monday’s performance helped him surpass two legendary performers, one who is still active but did not reach the playoffs. Westbrook’s 2,984
playoff points now give him more than both Chris Paul (2,981) and Reggie Miller (2,972).
In his seven playoff games thus far, the 36-year-old Westbrook has totaled 101 points. During this postseason run, he has also passed the postseason point totals of Sam Jones (2,909) and Clyde Drexler (2,963).
Key Reserve For Nuggets
While Westbrook has come off the bench during each of his seven playoff games this year (started 36 of 75 regular season appearances), he played a huge role in helping Denver advance past the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round in seven games (he missed Game 4). The 2016-17 MVP has dropped at least 14 points in six of his seven
postseason outings this year.
Westbrook’s presence has been needed by a Nuggets team that doesn’t have many reliable pieces off the bench. He and Peyton Watson are the only two reserve players that have played more than 35 total minutes in their eight postseason affairs.
With Westbrook playing such a large role, there is a strong possibility that he can move further up the career playoff scoring list this year. Next up for Westbrook to pass that he is less than 100
points behind are James Worthy (3,022), Klay Thompson (3,032 – active, not in postseason), and Manu Ginobili (3,054). Remarkably, despite
being in the top 30, Westbrook is only about 36% of the way to LeBron James’ record of 8,289 points in the playoffs.
When it comes to the regular season, Westbrook is 20th all-time with 26,205 career points. While he reached the NBA Finals in 2012 with the
Thunder, he does not yet have an NBA title. The only players with more career playoff points without a ring are Karl Malone (4,761 – 8th),
James Harden (3,895 – 14th), and Elgin Baylor (3,623 – 20th).
Photo credit: © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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