Russell Westbrook Hyped by Aaron Gordon: 'Not Just a Dog. He's a Wolf. He's Different'

Aaron Gordon heaped praise on veteran guard Russell Westbrook on Monday night after both players lifted the Denver Nuggets to a surprising 114-105 road win over the Golden State Warriors.

With starters Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun out, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone leaned heavily on Gordon and Westbrook, and they delivered.

Gordon led all scorers in the game with 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting, while Westbrook registered his NBA-record-extending 203rd career triple-double with 12 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Gordon paid Westbrook some massive compliments following his performance, saying: "First off, Russ is not just a dog. He's a wolf. He's different. Offensively and defensively, he's always on 10, always on 12."

The 36-year-old Westbrook was once a superstar, earning All-Star selections in nine of 10 seasons from 2010 through 2020, and winning the NBA MVP Award with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.

He has settled into a bench role and become something of a journeyman in recent years, but Westbrook still shows flashes of his old self at times, including Monday.

Malone commended both Gordon and Westbrook on Monday, citing their willingness to play under difficult conditions: "There's some guys who would think, 'Do I really feel like playing tonight?' What you love about Russ, what you love about AG [is their mentality]: 'All right, well, next man up. There's more opportunity for me.'"

Without the three-time NBA MVP in Jokić plus two other key players in Murray and Braun, few expected the Nuggets to be able to compete with the red-hot Warriors on Monday.

Entering the game, Golden State was one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning seven games in a row and 12 of the previous 13 games.

Despite all of that, the Nuggets somehow had more than enough firepower offensively, and they were particularly impressive on defense, holding Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry to 20 points on 6-of-21 shooting.

The loss dropped Golden State to a still-solid 39-29 on the season, while Denver improved to 44-25 with the victory.

That mark has the Nuggets tied with the Houston Rockets for the second-best record in the Western Conference, behind only the 56-12 Oklahoma City Thunder.

If the Nuggets manage to enter the playoffs at full strength, games like the one they had on Monday night could be huge for their psyche since they know supporting-cast players such as Gordon and Westbrook are capable of performing at a high level alongside stars like Jokić and Murray.