Everything went the way of the Denver Nuggets on Saturday evening in their game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite a solid first half from Anthony Davis and company, the second half was all Nuggets, including a stellar performance from former Laker Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook played 24 minutes and finished with 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds on 6-for-10 shooting and was a plus-17 on the night. It was the kind of performance the Lakers tried to get out of Westbrook during his year and a half with the team, but never could.

Davis praised Westbrook for what he brings to the Nuggets overall. But he also believes the Nuggets likely gave Westbrook some extra motivation to deliver his best performance against LA

“I mean, just for their team, he brings that energy,” Davis said. “You know how Russ plays; he plays hard and made some shots and some steals. You play how Russ plays; I’m pretty sure those guys know the history of us and probably pushed him a little bit more.

“But you know, when he comes into the game, he’s very disruptive and brings that juice to them, especially when he’s making plays. So I think that helped them a lot tonight.

The Lakers could have benefited greatly from the type of Westbrook that played against them on Saturday night. He was efficient from the field, involved others, limited mistakes and brought energy to the second and first units.

Westbrook has always been the type of player who had to adapt his game if he wanted to extend his career, and it’s possible the Nuggets have found the formula to do so. Or it’s possible they got the best out of Westbrook, given the motivation to play the Lakers.

Anthony Davis: Teams benefit from recurring problems

Unfortunately, LA’s game against the Nuggets played out the way every game has played out over the past 14 meetings. The Purple and Gold hung on, took a respectable lead, only to crumble in the second half.

Especially in the third quarter, the Lakers’ attack stagnated and no longer provided good looks. That led to settling for jump shots and sloppy turnovers, allowing Denver to hit the break.

That has been accompanied by an inability to finish off defensive possessions with rebounds, which has been a problem for the Lakers all season. Anthony Davis knows opponents take advantage of these two issues when scouting for LA

Are you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive event coverage, participate in live shows and more!