Frustrations can get the best of people, and earlier today, a member of the Nuggets was fined for his actions in a big loss. The NBA fined Russell Westbrook $35,000 for making an “obscene gesture” in the fourth quarter of their loss to the New York Knicks. Joe Dumars, who is the league’s Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, made the announcement.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/LG1psczc7q
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 29, 2024
Nuggets Sixth Man Russell Westbrook Fined for Obscene Gesture
Westbrook’s fine stems from a play where he drove to the basket and was blocked by Knicks guard Josh Hart. Westbrook quickly recovered the ball, dished it to a teammate who gave it back, and the veteran knocked down a three-pointer. After the shot, Westbrook flipped off the Knicks bench. New York’s bench said that he traveled after Hart’s block.
Westbrook flipping off the Knicks bench after this 3 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/WOI1GzJ6pY
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) November 26, 2024
The Nuggets sixth-man led the team in scoring in that game, as he finished with 27 points. Most of his points came out of that quarter, as he scored 24 in that period. He joined players Michael Jordan and Jamal Crawford as the only players in the past 25 years to have a 24-point quarter at 36 or older. Denver had five players in double figures, but the Knicks had too much firepower. New York had seven players in double figures, including a career-high 40-point game from OG Anunoby. The Knicks beat the Nuggets 145-118 in a frustrating loss.
Denver had a chance to bounce back as they beat the Utah Jazz in their next game. They beat Utah 122-103. Westbrook finished that game with 10 points and five assists.
Since 2000, Michael Jordan (38) and Jamal Crawford (39) are the only other players to score 24+ in a quarter at the age of 36+ https://t.co/sI3ZVhmxPh
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 26, 2024
Westbrook’s Sixth-Man Journey
Despite the obscene gesture mishap from Westbrook, he is playing well for the Nuggets. He averages 12.2 points, 5.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Westbrook is no stranger to coming off the bench, as he did it in previous seasons. He came off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 season. Then, during his 2023-24 season with the Los Angeles Clippers, he came off the bench in 57 of his 68 games. So, it is something he is familiar with. Westbrook is providing the Nuggets with some much-needed energy and bench scoring. While Westbrook has primarily come off the bench, he started in three games when Jamal Murray was out with an injury the Nuggets went 3-0 with him in the starting lineup.
Westbrook’s fine is not the first, nor will it be the last. In the past, he received a $25,000 fine for language towards a fan. That fan was banned from Utah’s arena. If anything, the fines show his passion and his energy out there on the court. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone praised Westbrook’s energy in the past and recently challenged Nikola Jokic and Murray to be more vocal. The fine is something light but can motivate the Nuggets going forward.
