Clippers

Russell Westbrook tried to make the most of his debut Friday, but he and the Clippers had too many turnovers to beat Sacramento in high-scoring affair.

“Still learning the offense, still learning where guys like the basketball and running the plays and things like that, but I thought he did a really good job.” Doing his part with his new team meant “just trying to find ways to be effective while I’m on the floor, and whatever’s asked of me,” he said. Lue did acknowledge that he should have given more playing time to Terance Mann, who was shifted to the bench because of Westbrook’s arrival and played only 17:32. “Just how I can be able to help make the game even more easier for them, so they don’t have to work as hard,” he said, “and, you know, we’ll get there.“ The Clippers are down to their final 20 games, a stretch they’ll launch with a visit to Western Conference-leading Denver on Sunday and at home against Minnesota on Tuesday. “It’s a blessing, just the excitement in the building,” Westbrook said. The Clippers see him as the point guard they’ve long been unable to find, a complement to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and not the third side of a triangle, as he was supposed to be with the Lakers alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. “It’s about what I imagined,” George said of Westbrook’s fit in his debut. [signed Russell Westbrook](https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2023-02-20/clippers-reportedly-plan-to-sign-russell-westbrook) this week, coach Tyronn Lue said he wasn’t expecting miracles from the nine-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of a game with that many points. It was who do the Clippers want to be? The Clippers entered Friday’s game ranked fourth in the NBA points allowed per game at 111.1.

The Kings rallied to outlast the Clippers 176-175 in a wild double-overtime thriller that marked the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.

The Clippers had a 162-156 lead with 3:04 remaining in the first overtime before the Kings scored six straight to even it. Los Angeles had a chance to win it, but Leonard was unable to put in a tip in at the buzzer. Los Angeles had a 145-131 advantage with 4:25 remaining before the Kings rallied back to force overtime with a 22-8 run. Leonard had 21 points in the third quarter, which tied his career high for points scored in a quarter. He had 17 points, 14 assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes before fouling out with 1:49 remaining in the second overtime. The 14 assists tied a franchise record for a player making his team debut, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Clippers had a 175-169 advantage with 1:57 remaining before the Kings scored the final seven points, including Fox's jumper with 36.5 seconds remaining. It is only the second time in the NBA's 76-year history that both teams scored at least 170 points in a game. It is the second time it has happened in an NBA game this season after Cleveland's The last to do it was A team has scored 170 points in a regular-season game only seven times. "We just had to grind this game out.

Robert Covington brought a decade of league experience and an All-Defensive First Team nod to the Clippers last season, but his value extends far beyond the ...

“Going to an HBCU is the best thing that ever happened to me.” “I’ve had a village that has been there to help me throughout life,” Covington shared. What makes Covington a Black Game Changer, a visionary, and a leader for those that now follow in his footsteps? The coaches spoke of the game as a paradigm of familial values: it builds a brotherhood. Our goal is to make sure these young men are ready for the real world,” Donte Jackson, head coach of the Grambling State men’s basketball team said. One of the biggest trailblazers in the league is on their own roster.

At Westbrook's introductory news conference, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said the team wants “Russ to be Russ.”

But the addition of Westbrook is a subplot to the main storyline of getting George and Leonard to be at their best more consistently. Westbrook is a bad free-throw shooter, but he also draws fouls at a high rate, which benefits an entire offense; it doesn’t matter who gets fouled once you’re in the bonus. But a primary reason for George and Leonard wanting another high-usage ballhandler was so that the ball is not in their hands so often throughout the course of a game. Powell also said of incumbent starter [Terance Mann](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/terance-mann-5ckD9JvYcPCUx6NM/) that “bringing T. George and Leonard’s fourth-quarter field goal percentages were much lower than their first three quarters, so while the team was successful, it was coming at an increased strain on the stars. How Westbrook fits in closing lineups is questionable at best. [Norman Powell](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/norman-powell-hiYUGADQy1AEo1fw/) discussed Friday morning at shootaround how Westbrook would be able to facilitate “especially in that first unit” while creating catch-and-shoot opportunities for George and Leonard in particular. Last week I reported the Clippers weren’t just approved to meet with Westbrook, but that a specific role was in mind: being a starting point guard for a team that featured George and Leonard. Lue has also been blunt about his desire to keep a true point guard in the rotation, even after benching incumbent starter That coincided with George and Leonard stacking games together. “Me and Kawhi are from L.A., but it’s always been a mutual respect, love. “One, just being from L.A., and then second, Paul is just a great person overall,” he said.

In Russell Westbrook, the Clippers found a path to the 2017 NBA title ... No player in the NBA evokes more sentimental feelings than Russell Westbrook. Though he ...

While there are few statistics to measure how hard a player actually goes, the narrative of Westbrook as a hard worker no longer aligns with the numbers that do exist in 2023. This season, the Lakers had a 110.6 defensive rating when Westbrook was off the court. They didn’t seem to notice the flaming red flags on Westbrook’s game film this season — or really any of the past five. [shared a photoshopped](https://www.instagram.com/p/Co48EfJsnhH/) picture of Westbrook, already in a black Clippers jersey and generously positioned in the middle of his two all-star teammates, Kawhi Leonard and George. Conversely, Los Angeles outscored opponents by 125 points during James’s 1,632 minutes and were a plus-55 when the oft-injured Davis logged his abbreviated workload. Even [Don Lemon](https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/02/16/don-lemon-nikki-haley-cnn-prime-apology/?itid=lk_inline_manual_14) would suggest those Lakers were a “super team” past its prime. Even now, his 29 percent shooting from deep makes him an afterthought in the half court, while his This kind of heightened interest might have made sense back when Westbrook was a nightly triple-double machine on the cusp of winning the 2016-17 MVP award. Once upon a time, when a point guard could attain elite status by outplaying everyone, Westbrook, Leonard and George would have been a nightmare for the rest of the league. Another’s social media team [airbrushed ](https://www.instagram.com/p/Co49jDGrZkQ/)Westbrook in front of George. [agreed to a deal with Westbrook](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/20/russell-westbrook-clippers/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5), it felt as if it snatched up a player, whom the other Los Angeles team recently let go, in the same way someone might spy a discarded VCR on their neighbor’s curb: Sure looks perfectly fine, sturdy even. Westbrook’s teams — the Clippers will be his fifth since he inked that deal — have struggled in the playoffs.

Clippers fans made sure to show Russell Westbrook that he's well-loved in LA despite his rather forgettable stint with the Lakers.

We just gotta make sure it’s in the confines of our team… We want him to be the MVP, the Hall of Famer that he is. He was sent to the Utah Jazz as part of the Lakers’ deal for D’Angelo Russell, eventually reaching a buyout agreement with the Salt Lake City franchise

The Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings delivered one of the greatest performances you'll ever see in a basketball game on Friday.

The Clippers had a 175-169 advantage with 1:57 remaining before the Kings scored the final seven points, including Fox's jumper with 36.5 seconds remaining. Russell Westbrook started and made his Clippers debut after he cleared waivers Wednesday. 13, 1983, in the highest-scoring NBA game.

The Kings rallied to outlast the Clippers 176-175 in a wild double-overtime thriller that marked the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.

The Clippers had a 162-156 lead with 3:04 remaining in the first overtime before the Kings scored six straight to even it. Los Angeles had a chance to win it, but Leonard was unable to put in a tip in at the buzzer. Los Angeles had a 145-131 advantage with 4:25 remaining before the Kings rallied back to force overtime with a 22-8 run. Leonard had 21 points in the third quarter, which tied his career high for points scored in a quarter. He had 17 points, 14 assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes before fouling out with 1:49 remaining in the second overtime. The 14 assists tied a franchise record for a player making his team debut, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Clippers had a 175-169 advantage with 1:57 remaining before the Kings scored the final seven points, including Fox's jumper with 36.5 seconds remaining. It is only the second time in the NBA's 76-year history that both teams scored at least 170 points in a game. It is the second time it has happened in an NBA game this season after Cleveland's The last to do it was A team has scored 170 points in a regular-season game only seven times. "We just had to grind this game out.

Russell Westbrook went for a double-double of 17 points and 14 assists in his Clippers debut.

However, in comparison to the Lakers, the Clippers have an entire roster of perimeter shooters who can make up for Westbrook's lack of a threat from outside of the paint. 10 p.m. He took rookie forward Keegan Murray off the dribble, finishing at the rim to put LA up three with 15.2 seconds remaining. As LA looks to make a push for its first championship in franchise history, will Westbrook be the missing piece? Once he signed with the team, Head coach Ty Lue [didn't mince words when he discussed Westbrook's role](https://twitter.com/AndrewGreif/status/1628855705951412224?s=20), inserting him right into the starting lineup. It was immediately made clear that Westbrook wouldn't suit up for Utah, awaiting a contract buyout to gain the freedom to latch on to a team with championship aspirations. The potential spacing issue was known when the Clippers signed Westbrook but in his debut, we got a glimpse of what it looks like on a new team.

Russell Westbrook was the center of attention at the start of his Los Angeles Clippers debut, but all eyes were on the scoreboard by the end.

On Friday, Malik Monk led the scoring for the Kings with 45 points, while De'Aron Fox added 42 points and 12 assists.

Making sense of the league’s scoring boom](https://theathletic.com/4069128/2023/01/09/making-sense-nba-scoring-boom/) [How Mike Brown and the Sacramento Kings are preparing for a season-defining stretch run](https://theathletic.com/4242694/2023/02/23/sacramento-kings-mike-brown/) The Kings and Clippers combined to make 44 3s, with the Clippers setting the record for most 3s made (26) in a loss. In the last 14 minutes of the game, the Kings scored 45 points. [Russell Westbrook](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/russell-westbrook-6Eb0XPY16UzzJWbc/), who fouled out at the end of the game, had a double-double in his debut with the team with 17 points, 14 assists, five rebounds and a steal. [Malik Monk](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/malik-monk-VB7T4MBDdeeVJnm1/)led all players in scoring on Friday with 45 points, while [De’Aaron Fox](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/deaaron-fox-HK4MAggNlmQ7dgSa/)added 42 points, 12 assists and five steals for the Kings. Fox scored or assisted on 13 of Sacramento’s final 17 points in regulation to help send the game to overtime, per StatMuse.

Kawhi Leonard finishes with 44 points and Russell Westbrook makes a solid debut for Clippers, but late mistakes send them to a 176-175 loss to the Kings.

When double-teams followed again on the next two possessions, Leonard’s passes led to a pull-up jumper by Marcus Morris Sr. Westbrook closed a breakneck first half with a left-handed finger-roll layup, then his drive in transition created enough room to dump off a pass to It was enough time for Monk to get off the a shot to send a game that had been an 11-point Clippers lead three minutes earlier into overtime, as Westbrook scrambled to challenge the shot. With defense optional for both teams, before the fourth quarter had even begun, Westbrook had already become the first Clipper to record at least 10 assists in their team debut since Sam Cassell, 18 years ago. Westbrook cut into the lane with his drives, drawing a foul on his first foray into the paint. Leonard’s scoring burst included six three-pointers, the last when Leonard dribbled on one defender, Monk, and fired a three-pointer as a second, Trey Lyles, rushed over for help in vain. for the league minimum Wednesday afternoon. Again, the Clippers could not hold it. Even more were revealed Friday, with 25 turnovers yielding 42 points for the Kings. This was no minor stage on which to debut a new starter in Westbrook. Sacramento leads the season series 2-1, with their final matchup next week. Just as important was what he cut out — the pull-up jump shots that rarely fell during his season-and-a-half in purple and gold.

The LA Clippers come back from the All-Star break with a big matchup against the Pacific Division leading Sacramento Kings Game Information Where:

They have one of the better duos in the NBA with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. The Sacramento Kings come to town on the second night of a back-to-back and as arguably the biggest surprise in the NBA this season. They are first in the NBA in points per game at 119.5 and second in offensive rating at 118.1. One other thing the Clippers need to monitor is the health of Ivica Zubac. He is a former MVP and will ultimately retire as one of the best guards to ever play the game. The Kings are exactly one game ahead of them in the Western Conference standings and a win would essentially move the Clippers into third place.