Russell Westbrook makes NBA history in Nuggets-Knicks

On By Littum

The Denver Nuggets were blown out by the New York Knicks on Monday night by a final score of 145-118. It was a poor performance for many Denver players, as even three-time MVP Nikola Jokic didn’t reach his usual production.

Denver was led in scoring by 17-year veteran Russell Westbrook, who had 27 points off the bench. Westbrook scored 24 of those points in the fourth quarter, the highest-scoring quarter of his Hall of Fame career.

This fourth quarter for Westbrook also made NBA history. With his dominant final frame, Westbrook joined Michael Jordan and Jamal Crawford as just the third player at least 36 years old to score 24 or more points in a single quarter (via Basketball Reference’s StatHead).

The NBA’s quarter-specific data only goes back to the 1996-97 season, but Westbrook, Crawford and Jordan are the only players since then to have at least 24 points in a quarter at age 36 or older. Jordan did it at age 38 when he had 24 points in the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets. Crawford accomplished the feat at age 39 when he had 26 points in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in 2019.

This is a very impressive list Westbrook joined, and it’s just one way he made history vs. New York. With his 405th career 25-point game, Westbrook tied Hall of Fame forward John Havlicek for the 30th most such games in NBA history (via StatHead).

Westbrook, still playing at a high level in his 17th season, had been a big signing for the Nuggets.

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