Nuggets' Malone Calls Russell Westbrook 'Rockstar' On Defense: 'He Cares, Man' | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone praised veteran guard Russell Westbrook after Wednesday's 124-122 home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

According to Bennett Durando of the Denver PostMalone was particularly impressed with Westbrook's defensive performance, saying:

“I think defensively he was a rock star. And what I love about Russell Westbrook: Leopards has been a vet for 17 years and doesn't change places, but he tries so hard to be disciplined. He tries to do the things we ask him to do.” He does, and I really appreciate that, because when you're 17, you're often who you are, man. He's so invested in this team and he can coach a guy like Russell Westbrook any day.

The Nuggets were without guard Jamal Murray and forward Aaron Gordon due to injuries on Wednesday, forcing several players into larger roles, including Westbrook.

Starting in just the third game of the season, Westbrook led Denver with 29 points on 10 of 15 shooting along with six assists, six rebounds and one steal.

The Thunder were undefeated at 7-0 entering Wednesday's contest and essentially fully healthy, with stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams receiving full playing time.

Denver only used an eight-man rotation during the game and all five starters played at least 32 minutes, but managed to overcome the disadvantage and secure their biggest win of the year so far.

Westbrook, who turns 36 next week, is in the midst of his 17th NBA season and his first with the Nuggets.

He was once a superstar with the Thunder, winning two scoring titles and an NBA MVP award. However, in recent years, Westbrook has taken on a smaller role, primarily as a backup.

After finishing a solid seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Nuggets brought him in with plans for him to fill a similar role.

Despite getting off to a slow start this season, Westbrook has scored 20 or more points in each of the last two games and three of the last five. He's also hit 60 percent or more of his shots in each of the last two games after shooting an abysmal 23.2 percent in his first six appearances.

In addition to his offensive improvement, Westbrook also stepped up defensively, averaging 1.8 steals per game, marking his best performance in that category since his final season in OKC in 2018-19.

Westbrook will almost certainly return to the bench once Murray returns to action, but he will definitely see significant playing time for the rest of the season, and he could have a big impact on whether the Nuggets win their second championship in three Winning seasons.