PHONG HOANG — Sau Russell Westbrook blocked Booker Devindrive to the basket with 10 seconds left, Laser cutting The point guard released a shout and a scowl.
On a night when Westbrook worked hard with his shot and won 3 to 19 from the field, he made up for all the mistakes by doing a little bit of everything in the contested fourth half with sun and offers the full Russell Westbrook experience in Phoenix.
Westbrook made 11 bounces (five attacks), made 8 assists and broke Phoenix with 3 saves and 2 steals to help Kawhi Leonard and Clippers stun the Sun 115-110 and beat Game 1 of their first-round playoff series at Footprint Center on Sunday night.
Clippers give Kevin Durant His first defeat as the Sun though Durant had 27 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds.
In his return to the knockout stages since tearing the ACL net in the second round in 2021, Leonard has added to the pound’s post-season reputation with 38 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to helped a team weaker than the Clippers win despite no injuries. Paul Georgewho was supposed to miss the first round because of a sprained right knee, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports Sunday earlier.
Leonard scored 13 points in the fourth round, including drilling three in a row to turn a one-point lead into a 106-101 advantage with two minutes left. He also found Eric Gordon opened the scoring for 3 as Leonard pulled multiple Suns defenders towards him in the paint to take down the Suns six.
However, the Clippers couldn’t have pulled this off without Westbrook, who had a very eventful night.
At halftime, Westbrook took a shortcut from the Clippers’ dressing room to the pitch through the club lounge area, where the fans were. Westbrook was captured on video having a tense exchange with a fan while a Clippers security guard stood between the two of them. Westbrook can be heard on the video saying, “Watch your mouth.”
The Suns, in a statement after the game, said they were conducting a review of the incident. Westbrook spoke to the media before the video began going viral on social media.
Going into Game 1, all eyes were on Leonard against Durant, who was making his playoff debut in Phoenix. After missing the whole of last season and working hard to get to this point, Leonard scored 42 minutes in his comeback playoffs.
“That’s what we saved,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said of Leonard playing more than 40 minutes. “This moment in the knockout stages, we have to play heavy minutes, especially when PG is out, understaffed, and he played great tonight.”
But Leonard got the help he needed most from Westbrook in the fourth inning.
Earlier in the game, fans were delighted with every miss by Westbrook. Lue told him not to let his poor shooting get in the way of all the other key plays Westbrook made for the Clippers.
Westbrook was relentless in smashing glass, winning six rebounds in the fourth inning, including two strikes, while seemingly keeping more of the ball alive and out of reach for the Suns, even as the Clippers tried to kept a defensive counter-attack against the Suns three times in one hold while taking a 109-108 lead with less than a minute left.
“That is [heart], it’s the moment, it’s the will to win,” Westbrook said of his 6-foot-3 and 200-pound resilience. “Can do plays. Understanding timing, scoring, possession.
“In this position, humbly, no one has countered better than me.”
The point guard had three assists in the fourth inning, and when Durant denied Leonard’s ball, Westbrook crowned Booker and fouled to make a pair of free throws with 17.7 seconds left to help. The Clippers lead by three points.
Westbrook stopped Booker on his next possession.
Westbrook occasionally defends Durant and provides defensive support to his ex on many occasions Oklahoma City Thunder teammate.
When asked if he’s ever seen a player shoot 3 to 19 with so many wins, Lue said he hasn’t.
“Just saw it tonight,” Lue said. “He’s crazy about bad shots. And I said, ‘Listen, your shot doesn’t matter. Take the good shots, make the right shots, but what you bring to the team. Ours is much more valuable, and that’s the bounce of a basketball.’
“It was three counter-attacks late in the game with more possession, defending in KD, stopping Book at the end and defending, he was locked in.”
Westbrook knows something about making winning plays despite cold shooting. The former MVP shot 3 to 19 but still finished with 19 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists and 2 steals to lead the standings. Washington shaman won 122-114 in Game 4 first Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 knockout round.
“I don’t know,” Westbrook said when asked about what it’s like to shoot 3 to 19 and win playoffs. “But I guess it’s a secret number. We won both games, but s—, if it works, I’m happy with that.”
Westbrook’s all-out effort in Sunday’s Game 1 was an example of why Leonard, George and Lue told Clippers leadership to add Westbrook to the All-Star break after the point guard was teamed down by the team. the ball buys out the contract. Utah Jazz.
“He was a defender of the point of the Hall of Fame,” Leonard said. “He’s been very successful in the knockouts before. He’s reached the Finals. I hope he plays great and gets his job done.”
