Boston Celtics beat Denver Nuggets in NBA exhibition season opener, but Nikola Jokic says omens are good
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Jaden Springer of Boston Celtics and Russell Westbrook of Denver Nuggets in action during the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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ABU DHABI – Veteran guard Russell Westbrook made his debut for the Denver Nuggets as they opened the National Basketball Association (NBA) pre-season with a loss to reigning champions the Boston Celtics in Abu Dhabi on Oct 4, but he was in awe of one of his new teammates.
Westbrook, a 16-year NBA veteran, said after the game that Nikola Jokic “sits in a category of his own”.
Playing the first of two pre-season games against the Celtics in the United Arab Emirates, the Nuggets, the 2023 NBA champions, squandered a 12-point lead and lost 107-103 to the team that took the crown at the end of last season.
Westbrook, a 35-year-old former league Most Valuable Player (MVP) and nine-time All-Star, joined the Nuggets in July after spending last season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
He shared some minutes with centre Jokic in the first half, before the Nuggets rested their starters.
“As we all know, he’s so unique in the sense of he’s so unselfish,” said Westbrook, who had 12 points and eight assists, 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.
“I’m grateful to be on his team and learn from him as well.”
Jokic had 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a 71.4 field goal percentage in under 17 minutes of play.
He is coming off a hectic summer, during which he helped Serbia to a bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games. But he said on Oct 4 that his participation in an international tournament might be a good omen for the Nuggets.
“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 help you stay in shape or to get better, maybe,” said Jokic.
“I definitely had a really good time and I think I improved playing for the national team.”
The Celtics began with three Olympic gold medallists in Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, alongside Luke Kornet and Jaylen Brown, but it was their second unit that cut their deficit.
Guard Payton Pritchard scored 21 points, including six three-pointers from 12 attempts.
Boston players combined for 61 three-point attempts, which would have been a franchise record had it been an official game.
“I don’t know if we will take 61 most nights,” said Pritchard. “I think we’ll get to the rim more during the season.”
NBA Finals MVP Brown addressed the Abu Dhabi crowd with some Arabic words ahead of the game. He had eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes of play, while Tatum had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in the same period.
“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.
The capacity crowd at Etihad Arena was star-studded, 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 favourite player. When he was in Arsenal, I really loved him. He was really fast and a game-changer. He was a really good player.”
Boston and Denver will square off again in a second pre-season game on Oct 6. AFP
