The Denver Nuggets are in top form in the second month of 2025. Likewise, their stars seem to be firing on all cylinders. However, this brilliant run of form isn’t without its blemishes. And one of the biggest was the injury to Russell Westbrook. However, the Nuggets may have some good news to look forward to on that front.

Coach Michael Malone provided us fans with an update regarding Westbrook’s recovery and availability. It seems Russ will be back soon. How soon? If all goes well, then Westbrook should be back in the Nuggets lineup following the upcoming All-Star break. So far, Russell has missed six consecutive games because of the hamstring injury.

This is great news for the Nuggets and their fans. Russ is amid a career resurgence at the age of 36 in the 2024/25 season. His performances have led to him usurping the role of starting point guard in Denver’s squad. Even if Russ’s 13 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game don’t jump out at you, he has registered those stats in key moments for the Nuggets. Coach Michael Malone will look to deploy Russ immediately back into the squad.

The Denver Nuggets extended their winning record to 8 tonight with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. This was their second victory over the Blazers this week. But despite looking closely because of the final score, the game was anything but. 

Denver Nuggets cruise to back-to-back victories against Portland Trail Blazers without Russell Westbrook 

The Nuggets won tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers by 11 points. While that is meager compared to their 146-117 win a couple of days ago, this match was also not close in the slightest. In fact, the only reason the scoreline ended the way it did was because Denver let their foot off the gas in the 4th. They led the first 3 quarters rather comfortably. 

Denver’s standout player tonight was undoubtedly Jamal Murray. He scored 55 points, a new career high, and put up 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, shooting 20/36 and making 7 three-pointers. This performance by Murray is the first of its kind per Stathead. And Murray is only the third Nuggets player to score 55 points or more in one game.

Speaking of being third, Nikola Jokic is now third on the list of triples in a season before the All-Star break. Tonight marked his 25th triple-double in the 2024/25 season. Only his teammate, Russell Westbrook, and NBA legend Oscar Robertson have more at 27 and 28, respectively. Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how good the Joker is.

However, tonight was clearly Jamal Murray’s night. His partnership with Jokic is evidently something special. With Russell Westbrook back in the squad to ease some of their burden after the All-Star break, it’s hard to see any team stopping the Denver Nuggets from clinching the NBA title this season!