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LA Clippers veteran point guard Russell Westbrook was exuberant after his team completed an 18-point comeback to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 125-114 on Sunday. However, before discussing the victory, the former MVP gave Clippers reporter Rahshaun Haylock a shoutout in front of the packed crowd at the Crypto.com Arena.
Westbrook finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 62.5% shooting off the bench as LA finished Sunday’s matchup on a 39-10 run. This included the Clippers scoring the final 22 points of the contest.
After the game, Haylock began to ask Westbrook a question about his team’s comeback effort. But before he could finish, the nine-time All-Star congratulated him on his recent promotion.
“First of all, no, congratulations to you, bro,” Westbrook said. “First night, tonight. Give a round of applause to my boy that I’ve known for a long time. Congratulations to you, brother.”
After giving the shoutout, Westbrook was asked how the Clippers found the drive to outscore the Nets 41-15 in the fourth quarter. He attributed the run to his team’s resilience as well as LA’s immense fan support.
“We came out and competed all night long and we never gave up,” Westbrook said. “The fans were great tonight; you never gave up. Shoutout to you guys, you were amazing. I’m so proud of my team, you did a good job.”
As for the bench spark that he provided, the 35-year-old highlighted how being an energizer is his role at this stage of his career.
“That’s my job, man,” Westbrook said. “My job is to come in and bring in a spark every single night. I feed off the crowd, I keep my energy high, I come in and compete and lay it on the line every night.”
Russell Westbrook, Clippers win 10th game in last 12
Sunday’s win marked Russell Westbrook and the Clippers’ 10th in their last 12 games as they continue their ascension in the Western Conference. LA (27-14) sits just 2.5 games behind the first-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves (30-12), despite the team’s early-season struggles.
After starting the season 3-7, the Clippers have gone 24-7 over their last 31 games. This stretch of improved play has coincided with coach Ty Lue’s decision to bring Westbrook off the bench.
The lineup change has balanced out LA’s ball-dominant starting five, allowing stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden to thrive. Meanwhile, Westbrook has maintained steady bench production.
It remains to be seen if LA’s veteran-laden squad will be able to hold up and continue its domination come playoff time. However, as of now, most would probably agree that the Clippers look as good as they have since the start of the Leonard-George era.
In Video: Russell Westbrook silences heckler courtside, NBA Twitter explodes
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