Former OKC Thunder Stars Thrive in Christmas Day Matchup

The Oklahoma City Thunder watched Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook battle it out on Christmas Day after years of carrying the holiday in Bricktown. Those two played fantastic games.

Dec 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) reacts after fouling the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder were snubbed on Christmas Day this season, despite meeting the qualifications to crack the slate. The Thunder sat on the sidelines to watch this Christmas Day slate, which was littered with former OKC Thunder players.

One of the biggest matchups in this vein was the showdown between former franchise cornerstones Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Phoenix Suns pulled out a 110-100 win over the Denver Nuggets but each former OKC Thunder star shined bright on this massive stage.

Durant turned in 27 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks while posting 9-for-26 shooting from the floor including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Westbrook was one of few Denver Nuggets players to make positive contributions to the Nuggets' efforts. The former MVP posted 17 points, two assists, six rebounds and a steal while being a +3 in the game. The Nuggets sixth man logged 27 minutes while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 1-for-4 from beyond the arc.

These two teammed up for many Christmas Day games in Oklahoma City, where they routinely carried the holiday in Bricktown with unforgetable wins and even a season-opener thanks to a lock out season. Now, the two faced off as foes on the league's biggest day of the calendar year.

This Nuggets loss pushes Denver to 16-12, a full seven games back of the Thunder for the Northwest Division crown - which Oklahoma City took home a year ago due to a tiebreaker en route ot the no. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

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