Russell Westbrook Calls Nikola Jokic 'Best Player in the World' After 42-22 Game

Veteran guard Russell Westbrook paid teammate Nikola Jokić the ultimate compliment following the Denver Nuggets' 121-119 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Monday.

Speaking to reporters after the game (beginning at the 1:57 mark of the video), Westbrook called Jokić "the best player in the world, plain and simple."

In a road game that saw the Nuggets trail by as much as 14, Jokić helped keep their heads above water with a game-high 42 points to go along with 22 rebounds and six assists.

Aaron Gordon hit the go-ahead and game-winning three-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but there is little doubt that Jokić was the biggest difference-maker in the game.

Playing against a Thunder team that had a league-best 68-14 record during the regular season, there was no question that the Nuggets would need their biggest stars to step up and play their best basketball.

Jokić did precisely that, as the three-time NBA MVP and one-time NBA Finals MVP played 42 minutes and made 15 of his 29 attempts from the field.

The Nuggets only used eight players during Monday's game, and Julian Strawther played just six minutes, so it was largely up to Jokić and the starting lineup to get the job done.

OKC tried to rely more on its considerable depth with 10 players seeing playing time and only superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reaching the 40-minute mark.

That strategy worked for most of the game, as the Thunder rarely trailed, but the championship DNA of the Nuggets showed up in the key moments.

The Nuggets are only two years removed from winning the first NBA championship in team history, and many of the key players are the same, including Jokić, Gordon, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun.

Things didn't go exactly according to plan for the Nuggets during the regular season, as they had to scratch and claw their way to the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record, resulting in head coach Michael Malone getting fired with only three games remaining.

The switch to interim head coach David Adelman has paid dividends thus far, though, as the Nuggets are now just three wins away from a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Denver will look to keep the momentum going Wednesday night when it faces OKC in Game 2.