"You never know who's watching" - Russell Westbrook on what motivated him to give his all in preseason game in Abu Dhabi

The 2024-25 NBA preseason kicked off in Abu Dhabi for the second consecutive year, featuring the two latest NBA champions, the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets.

In the first of the two games—the second one is scheduled for Sunday—Boston beat Denver 107-103, with both coaches playing their star players only in the first half.

Russell Westbrook , making his Nuggets debut, spent 19 minutes on the floor and finished the contest with 12 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. Playing in front of the sold-out Abu Dhabi crowd, the veteran guard didn't take the opportunity for granted.

"Anytime I step on the basketball floor, I play as hard as I can," Russ said during the postgame interview. "I learned a long time ago when I was younger, my dad used to tell me, 'You never know who's watching.' This is an international game and there are kids that never seen guys like myself or guys on other teams; that's why it's important to inspire."

Playing a sixth-man role

Russ led the bench unit, playing as the team's go-to playmaker alongside Dario Saric, Hunter Tyson, Vlatko Cancar, and Julian Strawther. Despite being 35, he showcased elite athleticism, creating easy basket opportunities for his teammates.

The 2017 MVP hit three three-pointers, showing flashes of being able to play off the ball, which could open up the possibilities of playing alongside the starters. After all, his first bucket as a Nugget came off a Jokic assist.

Battle of the benches

Joe Mazzulla played his star players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, just over 19 minutes. The 2024 Finals MVP had eight points, two rebounds, and two assists, while JT finished the contest with 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Payton Pritchard led the C's with 21 points—he shot six of 12 from the long-range—while Drew Peterson added 10 points off the bench.

Nuggets stars spent even less time on the court. Jokic, who played 16 minutes, had 14 points and eight rebounds on 5-of-7 from the field. Michael Porter Jr. was the only other starter who scored in double digits. He finished with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

Strawther and Zeke Nnaji almost led Michael Malone's team to a comeback victory—they scored 11 and 10 points, respectively—but Boston's bench unit was able to close out the contest.

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