OKLAHOMA CITY — Thunder fans still have love for Russell Westbrook, even when he’s on the visiting bench in the playoffs.

Nuggets interim coach David Adelman picked the perfect time to bring the veteran guard into the game at Paycom Center. Westbrook was at the scorer’s table with 5:17 in the first quarter of a 121-119 win in Game 1.

“(Aaron) Gordon made a shot. Credit to him, and we’ve just got to be better,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after.

Conveniently, that was also the time of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s first trip to the line.

A hearty “M-V-P” chanted stopped after the first free throw and turned into an extended ovation for Westbrook who spent the first 11 years of his career entertaining Oklahoma City’s fans.

“That’s like home for me,” Westbrook said. “I always got love for everybody there, the people, the fans. I know it’s mutual.”

It was mutual to start, but the hospitality wore off by the final minutes. The Paycom Center cheered after Westbrook missed the first of two free throws in a seven-point game and did so again when the veteran missed a go-ahead 3 in the final 30 seconds.

Westbrook got the last laugh, assisting Aaron Gordon’s game-winning 3-pointer.

Adelman’s adversaries

Denver’s interim coach is going against a pair of top-five coaches in his first two playoff series, if the Coach of the Year vote is any indication.

Adelman led the Nuggets past Ty Lue’s Clippers’ in seven hard-fought games in the first round. Lue finished fifth in the Coach of the Year race.

Now, Adelman’s up against Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault, who finished fourth in the vote after leading the Thunder to a 68-14 regular season. Adelman previously coached against Daigneault when Michael Malone missed a stretch of games during the league’s COVID-19 protocols.

“That was a really cool experience, because I’ve had such respect for Mark from watching him build this thing and the way they built it,” Adelman said, adding the Thunder coach seems humble and organized.

“There’s no frills with that team. They do what they’re good at, and they do it well. That’s a testament to him. He’s not trying to reinvent the wheel here. That’s part of coaching, knowing what’s best for your group of guys, and he does that extremely well.”

Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson won the award, receiving 59 of 100 first-place votes in his first year as the Cavaliers’ coach. Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff and Houston’s Ime Udoka finished second and third, respectively.

Rest vs. Rust

Just as Daigneault predicted, the Thunder’s rust didn’t take long to wear off.

The Thunder entered Monday’s Game 1 having not played since April 26. Oklahoma City missed all 10 of the 3-pointers it attempted in the first quarter. The Thunder started the second quarter 4 for 4 from 3-point ranges thanks to makes from Alex Caruso (2), Jalen Williams and Aaron Wiggins.

“I think both things will subside after the first half or the first game. I don’t think it’s a huge part of this series as a whole,” Daigneault said of the rest vs. rust debate.

“We’ve learned as much as we can to try to maximize the week of practice. We also try to maximize the rest. We try to build up to the game in a way that’s wise and positions us to be successful.”

Denver’s coach thought Oklahoma City’s rest advantage was more meaningful. The Nuggets eliminated the Clippers on Saturday night, flew to Oklahoma City on Sunday at started the second round a day later. The quick turnaround appeared to catch up with the Nuggets in the second quarter, as Denver committed six of its nine first-half turnovers in the period. Oklahoma City owned a 15-4 advantage in points off turnovers at the break.

“I think the advantage is rest. I always do. That’s part of the NBA, but I do think that the emotion of winning the game we just won and how well we played the first three and a half quarters was something to build on as you move into the next series,” Adelman said.

“I hope there’s rust for them. That would be great, but I expect them to come out full speed, knowing that we were playing and they haven’t been. That’s a major advantage.”

Somehow, the Nuggets and their tired legs pulled off a 14-point comeback.