Telepeer

Swanson: Clippers’ Russell Westbrook serves up revenge against Lakers

April 6, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Let Russ be Russ. That’s the credo. Long been.

As if there were an alternative.

As if pepper could not be peppery, as if salt could be sweet.

But it can be an acquired taste, the way Russell Westbrook plays basketball. It’s distinctive and rather rich. Hard to stomach for some folks, more palatable to others.

Better, clearly, in a stew with enough other strong complementary flavors. Best, perhaps, like revenge: Served cold.

The Clippers – who added Westbrook on a veteran’s minimum contract after the trade deadline – had more in the cupboard to pair with the hard-charging if imperfect veteran point guard. And they believe he’s delivered, even though they’re just 9-10 since he joined them following Wednesday’s 125-118 victory over Westbrook’s former employer.

They’ll tell you they’ve been well served by him being, well, him.

He pushes the pace and he’s pushed his teammates in practice. He’s sprinkled plenty of swagger and spice into an otherwise mild-mannered squad. Plenty more turnovers too, but that comes with the change in pace.

“I think he fits a bunch of needs,” acknowledged Lakers coach Darvin Ham, noting that Westbrook is helping the Clippers fill the void created by All-Star Paul George’s absence with a right knee sprain. “He provides a steady veteran, a guy that’s been through many wars, and who’s going to give it all he has.”

And that’s pretty much exactly what the Clippers ordered.

“He’s a guy who’s vocal, can help our guys in the locker room,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said before tipoff. “But also just what we asked him to do, he’s done.”

That’s included watching – and cheering, engaging, advising – from the bench at the end of some games. Including Wednesday’s.

Surprise, surprise?

Actually, yeah, Lue said.

“You never know,” said the coach, who had been clamoring for a “traditional” point guard before the Clippers signed Westbrook. “I mean, when you’re dealing with a Hall of Fame player and a guy who’s played a certain style of basketball his whole career, sometimes it could be difficult. But he’s been great.”

All that made Westbrook a pivotal presence in his first game on the Clippers’ side in the local rivalry game, which happened to be the most meaningful in recent memory: With the victory, the Clippers’ 11th straight over the Lakers, they improved to 42-38 and moved into fifth place in the Western Conference standings, passing the idle Golden State Warriors (42-38) via the tiebreaker.

The Lakers stayed in the play-in field, in seventh place after the New Orleans Pelicans’ victory over Memphis.

During pregame introductions, Westbrook was greeted by a roar of emotion – positive and not – from the charged, split crowd of 19,068. He shook no hands before tipoff. And then he opened the game by swatting Austin Reaves’ jumper and throwing a lob to Ivica Zubac, the other former Laker on the Clippers.

Well rested after three days off, they dutifully dispatched the Lakers, who came in limping and on fumes after an overtime victory Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.

The Clippers rode Westbrook’s energy to a 19-point lead in the first half Wednesday. The Lakers whittled the advantage to as few as seven points with 4:13 left in the third quarter and made a late charge. But the game belonged to the host Clippers.

“Man, I felt like Russ was ready to go for 40,” said Clippers guard Bones Hyland, Westbrook’s understudy who took the baton in the second half, scoring all 14 points of his points after the break. “Russ had a great start, man, he came out there, aggressive. …

“We’ve been telling Russ for the past two days, ‘Russ, we’ll match your energy. We got your back. We’re gonna come out with this win.’”

A former Lawndale Leuzinger High and UCLA standout, Westbrook played the past season and a half for his hometown Lakers, a tenure that left a bad taste in the mouths of everyone involved.

After they finally traded him, to Utah at the deadline, ESPN reported that an unnamed someone with the team likened Westbrook’s departure to removing a vampire from the locker room.

He was bought out and then signed with the Clippers, whose players recruited him publicly despite the reported complaints and how poorly he fit with the Lakers during his tenure with them.

That the Lakers, who started the season 2-10, found themselves in position to even pressure the Clippers this late in the schedule has much to do with the roster improvements they made by trading away Westbrook and his expiring $47.1 million salary at the early February trade deadline. They were able to flip him for some key missing ingredients: a dash of defensive length (Jarred Vanderbilt) and a couple of measures of floor-spacing shooting threats (Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell).

And it’s come out pretty well: Entering Wednesday, the Lakers were 16-8 (and boasting the NBA’s best defensive rating) since Westbrook’s departure on Feb. 9 – despite having played most of those without LeBron James, who has missed time with a foot injury.

They’d entirely closed the gap on the Clippers, climbing out of 13th into a tie for sixth.

The Clippers, meanwhile, fought to tread water in the wild Western Conference, their struggles having had more to do with the team pre-Russ – depth at wing is great, but the Clippers are proving it’s possible to have too many cooks in a kitchen, stirring the same pot or manning the same station.

Clippers |

Clippers handle Lakers easily, extending 11-game win streak vs. rivals

Clippers |

Clippers bring plenty of motivation into game against Lakers

Clippers |

Brandon Ingram leads Pelicans past Kawhi Leonard, Clippers

Clippers |

NBA, players reach deal on new 7-year labor agreement

Clippers |

Clippers start fast but can’t sustain it in rematch with Grizzlies

They were in fifth place when they acquired Westbrook on Feb. 27. And with Wednesday’s result, they’re still in fifth.

“It’s not about individual stuff, but we knew what was said about him and when he came over here, it’s the complete opposite of who he is,” Zubac said. “He’s a great dude, a great leader, always happy, always positive, always helping everyone on the court, helping a lot.

“So we just wanted to prove everyone wrong. Prove all those rumors, all that stuff that was said about him, it just makes it better that it came in the biggest game of the season.”

Westbrook didn’t stick around postgame to chat with reporters about it, but his contribution to the biggest win of the season: 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting, including hitting two of his four 3-point attempts. He also logged four assists, three rebounds, three turnovers and a steal in 21 minutes, including none in the fourth quarter.

And as Lue has come to expect, Russ was Russ late too, locked in and serving up energy and expertise from the sideline.

Orange County Register

News Details

Swanson: Clippers’ Russell Westbrook serves up revenge against Lakers

Related Articles

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS