ABU DHABI: Russell Westbrook believes his new teammate Nikola Jokic “belongs in a category of his own,” the 16-year NBA veteran said in Abu Dhabi on Friday after making his first appearance for the Denver Nuggets.
Playing the first of two preseason games against the Boston Celtics in the UAE capital, the Nuggets squandered a 14-point lead en route to a 107-103 defeat to the reigning NBA champions.
Westbrook, a former MVP and nine-time All-Star, joined the Nuggets in July after spending last season with the LA Clippers, and the 35-year-old made his debut for his new team on Friday, sharing some minutes with Jokic in the first half.
“As we all know, he sits in a category of his own. He’s so unique in the sense of he’s so unselfish,” said Westbrook of the three-time MVP.
“He loves to be able to make the game easy for his teammates and he’s done that and won a championship and multiple MVPs and he’s still the same person since I’ve been around.
“Getting a chance to know a little about him and his background, I really enjoyed that and I’m grateful to be on his team and learn from him as well.”
Jokic is coming off a hectic summer during which he helped guide Serbia to a bronze medal at the Olympic Games.
In a clash that pit the last two NBA champions in front of a capacity crowd at Etihad Arena, Jokic had 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a 71.4 field goal percentage in under 17 minutes of play.
“Last time, I remember, when I played for the national team, we won the championship, so maybe that’s saying something, maybe not, who knows. Most players say that summer tournaments, like the Olympics, kind of helps you stay in shape or to get better maybe,” said Jokic.
“I don’t know if that’s the case or not, but I definitely had a really good time and I think I improved playing for the national team.”
The Celtics started with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Luke Kornet, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, but it was their second unit that cut their deficit against the Nuggets, with guard Payton Pritchard scoring 21 points, including six 3-pointers from 12 attempts.
Boston players combined for 61 3-point attempts, which would have been a franchise record had it been an official game.
“I feel like we took a lot of 3s last year. I don’t know if we’ll take 61 most nights, but obviously we don’t have two of our interior players and it’s the first game, getting our legs under us, so sometimes repeatedly is tiring. I think we’ll get to the rim more during the season,” said Pritchard, referring to coach Joe Mazzulla emphasizing shooting from beyond the arc throughout their run to the championship.
NBA Finals MVP Brown, who addressed the Abu Dhabi crowd with some Arabic words ahead of the game, had eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes of play, while Tatum had 12, six and five.
“We’re definitely getting back into season form, just finding that continuity again, we had some good spots, defensively made some good plays, offensively we got some good looks,” said Brown, who spent a large portion of his summer in the Arabian Peninsula.
“A lot of excitement here in Abu Dhabi as well, so I think the next game we should be better.”
The night in the UAE capital was a star-studded affair with a host of football legends in attendance, including Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Roberto Carlos and Alessandro Del Piero.
Jokic said he was happy to see them all in one place, adding: “Thierry Henry was my favorite player, when he was in Arsenal, I really loved him. He was really fast and I’m going to say a game-changer. He was a really good player.”
Boston and Denver will square off again in a second preseason game on Sunday, Oct. 6. The 2024-25 NBA season tips off on Oct. 22.
