The Los Angeles Clippers earned an easy win against the Golden State Warriors tonight despite being 48-70 in the third quarter. Storming back by 22 points, the Clippers star trio of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden registered above 20 points individually to mark this crucial win against Conference rivals. However, Russell Westbrook, the fourth Clippers veteran, could score only 8 points as he played for a little over 18 minutes in this game.
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Since Harden’s arrival, it has been difficult to field a winning team with all four stars as starters on the court. Hence, Westbrook opted to come off the bench to resolve this issue, as he had clarified a while back. While fans are worried about the Clippers star’s dwindling minutes, James Harden spoke about his teammate and explained this issue in a post-game interview later after the game.
Harden seems to be thankful for Russ’ sacrificial move in helping the Clippers team garner wins through this season. Being a starter through almost the entirety of his career, Harden understands that such fluctuating minutes must definitely be frustrating Westbrook. In a clip uploaded by Joey Linn on X, Harden relayed a warm message to his fellow teammate and said,
“Just stay with it. It’s a long season. I know it’s probably frustrating for him, just cuz his minutes is fluctuating… We all need somebody to pick us up and tell us it’s gonna be okay.”
James Harden’s message to Russell Westbrook:
“Just stay with it. It’s a long season. I know it’s probably frustrating for him, just cuz his minutes is fluctuating… We all need somebody to pick us up and tell us it’s gonna be okay.” pic.twitter.com/FrjKLGXdUN
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) December 3, 2023
Harden’s arrival has definitely threatened Russell Westbrook’s minutes on the field this season. Though the fans highly appreciate his selflessness in sacrificing his game minutes for his team, it seems Russ is getting increasingly frustrated with his dwindling minutes on the court.
Russell Westbrook gets into an extended verbal exchange with a courtside heckler as Clippers lose 113-104 to Nuggets (minus Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon) in LA.
– A referee and players from both teams intervene to cool tensions. pic.twitter.com/3gmUceJOcZ— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 28, 2023
This was evident from one of his recent outbursts and verbal exchanges with a fan in the Clippers’ recent 113-104 loss against the Denver Nuggets in LA. In response to this verbal altercation, Westbrook explained, “It’s unfortunate today fans can say whatever they want. I’m just protecting myself. Personally, I won’t allow it. I won’t stand for it.”
Fans want the Clippers to field Russell Westbrook over James Harden
Russell Westbrook came off the bench for defense during the final two possessions and immediately put his head straight for the rim. In the final 36 seconds of the game, Westbrook displayed a clutch closeout and a rebound and pushed the game’s pace to allow Paul George to continue scoring.
After the win, coach Ty Lue was as impressed as the fans with Russ’ performance and remarked, “Just staying ready. Russ gave us a lot of energy in that game… To sit out that long and come back in and put your head at the rim to get a rebound, that was huge for us.”
This season, Westbrook is averaging 12.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists from 43.6 percent shooting per game. Though Russ’ impact on the Clippers is clearly evident from tonight’s show, he hasn’t been able to garner a big game for himself for quite some time.
Clippers fans are now arguing to reinstate Westbrook as a starter and make Harden come off the bench. Implementing that could make things even more complicated for the Clippers, given Harden’s history of antics in coming off the bench.
