Nuggets cannot be tricked by fool's gold showcased in overtime win over Nets

The Nuggets got a much-needed win on Tuesday night in Brooklyn over the Nets. They needed overtime to get the job done, but at this point in the year they just need to stack up wins any way possible. Even if that means going to overtime against one of the bottom-feeders in the NBA.

But as comforting as the win was in the moment, there are still many concerns around this team, and winning in this manner is not sustainable. Part of the reason for that is because Nikola Jokic is logging heavy minutes and carrying a preposterous scoring load. He’s even getting up more three-pointers, basically trying to plug all of the team’s holes singlehandedly.

While that is valiant, it’s not a recipe for long-term team success. The Nuggets need to score a solid seed and set themselves up to make a playoff run, but they also need to make sure their best players are fresh and ready to go; chiefly Jokic.

But again, there’s no point in Jokic being fresh for a playoff run that will never be. The team needs to find a way to navigate this regular season without overtaxing the Joker. The bench will have to be a big part of that and on Tuesday night, a lot of the support came from the much-maligned Russell Westbrook.

Russ struggled mightily in his first three appearances with the Nuggets; basically exposing everyone’s worst fears about the player he has become in recent years. But on Tuesday night, Westbrook came through for them with 22 points and 5 assists, shooting 5/12 from the floor and 2/2 from three.

Russell Westbrook cannot consistently shoot this well

Every one of those points was needed in this game, but much like the heavy minutes load for Jokic, these Russ numbers aren’t sustainable. Even with his great game, the team was +/- 0 with him on the court.

12 shot attempts in 20 minutes for Westbrook is entirely too much and enough to derail the entire Denver offense. He is not going to shoot this well anywhere close to consistently, and if he keeps playing like this on offense, he will shoot the team out of games by himself.

The defense, the energy, the intensity, and aggressiveness? Those are all things that Russ can bring to the Nuggets on a nightly basis, and they were on display against the Nets. But jacking up shots almost every time down the floor is just begging for disaster.

Westbrook shot 10/10 from the free throw line, which is a massive boost for the Nuggets. He should continue to be aggressive in getting to the rim, and ultimately, to the line. But the jump shots - especially off the dribble - need to be cut out of his game. 

Unfortunately, a hot shooting night like this will only embolden Russ to keep firing. In the long run, this great game may actually cause more harm than good to the Nuggets. Hopefully, Michael Malone and company realize this is the case, and this kind of shooting volume for Russ becomes a blip on the radar.