The Los Angeles Lakers game against the Los Angeles Clippers was an extremely anticipated contest for a number of reasons. Aside from the burgeoning rivalry between the two franchises and the playoff seeding implications, it was also the first game for Russell Westbrook as a member of the Clippers against his former team.
Anyone who has followed Westbrook throughout his career knows that he always plays with the highest level of intensity but gets even more motivated against certain rivals. And a Lakers team that was openly looking to trade him would certainly fall in that category.
Westbrook came out on fire against the Lakers, scoring 10 points in the first quarter including a couple of 3-pointers. After the game, Anthony Davis admitted that the gameplan for the Lakers was to let Westbrook shoot and that ultimately got the Clippers going, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I think that got them going. I think he made two threes, made a couple pull-ups. That’s an energy booster for them. I think our gameplan was for him kind of to shoot the ball, and he made them. He made the shots and that kind of snowballed down to everybody else who started making shots. Got their crowd into it and everything like that, so hats off to em.”
Westbrook’s energy and intensity are infectious and he got things going in a big way on Wednesday. The Lakers have had prior success against Westbrook by letting him shoot as his outside shot is not his biggest strength, but he was able to knock some shots down and get the Clippers started on the right track. The Lakers were able to fight back after the Clippers’ hot start, but ultimately the Lakers just couldn’t keep up.
Westbrook’s time with the Lakers was a mixed bag, to say the least. The trio of Westbrook, Davis and LeBron James just didn’t quite fit and the Lakers sacrificed a lot of their depth in order to acquire the point guard. Now both sides are in a better place and while Westbrook got the better of this meeting, it surely won’t be the last time he and the Lakers cross paths.
Darvin Ham praises Russell Westbrook for sacrificing for the Lakers
One of Westbrook’s biggest supporters during his time with the Lakers was undoubtedly head coach Darvin Ham. And that has not ended now that Westbrook is no longer in purple and gold.
Ham praised Westbrook, thanking him for sacrificing for the betterment of the team as a whole and wishing him nothing but the best.
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