The LA Clippers are not the first club to challenge Russell Westbrook to try to defeat them rather than three-time MVP Nikola Jokic by sagging him defensively.
Westbrook spent the previous two seasons with the Clippers, so they are familiar with his intensity and self-assurance. They therefore went overboard with that tactic in Saturday’s Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, and Westbrook made them pay.
Westbrook hit a huge 3-pointer at the end of regulation in Denver’s 112-110 overtime victory over the Clippers at Ball Arena and made several key defensive plays against his former team to help the Nuggets steal the first game of their Western Conference playoff series — a game in which they trailed by as many as 15 points.
“Yeah, yeah,” Westbrook said when asked if he recognized that his former team had been daring him to beat it by the way it defended him.
According to ESPN Research, the Clippers gave Westbrook an average separation of 9.6 feet when he was taking 3-pointers in Game 1. That’s the most separation he has gotten on 3-pointers in a playoff game when taking at least five attempts since player tracking began in 2013-14, according to Genius IQ.
“We can talk about that more when we take care of business,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook finished with 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting, but 10 of those points came in the fourth quarter and overtime. His putback with 3:37 to go in regulation, one of his four offensive rebounds on the night, gave the Nuggets their first lead at 93-92.
At the end of overtime, Westbrook also made the game’s defensive play by forcing a turnover by deflecting Nicholas Batum’s inbound ball to James Harden with ten seconds left.
Westbrook remarked, “I know that play,” alluding to his Clippers days. “They have excellent cutters, guys who catch lobs, and a dynamic roller with [Ivica Zubac].” It is my responsibility to be the low man and figure out how to, pardon my vernacular, f— s— up.”
It was the kind of spark Denver has come to expect from Westbrook this season. When Westbrook is at his best, he impacts the game with high-energy plays, offensive rebounds and defensive disruptions. The downside, of course, comes when he gets too aggressive or makes poor decisions with the ball late in games.
That also occurred in Game 1 when Westbrook dribbled into traffic, jumped in the air, and attempted to throw the ball off Harden’s foot before he came down, turning the ball over at the end of regulation. Westbrook made two poor plays at the conclusion of a defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves a few weeks ago, but it did not change the outcome.
At the end of overtime, however, he came up with a defensive deflection that helped seal the victory in typical Westbrookian fashion.
“Russ is Russ,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said with a smile after the game. “Defensively he was absolutely incredible. He was playing free safety out there. I thought a lot of the reasons why the [Clippers’ 20] turnovers happened, even if it wasn’t him forcing it, just the way he was roaming around and impacting the game, it was great for us. Then offensively, a couple of times I thought he attacked, maybe we could have pulled it out and executed, but that’s what Russ does. He’s going to play in attack mode. I don’t think he’s going to change after 17 years. If he sees somebody in front of him one-on-one, he’s going to attack, and he made an enormous 3 in the fourth.”
The Clippers, who were aware of Westbrook’s inclinations from his time in Los Angeles, obviously attempted to take advantage of his confidence by aggressively leaving him defensively to double-team Jokic and Jamal Murray, particularly in the closing minutes of the game.
Jokic always passes the ball to an open guy, as is his habit. Thus, with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Westbrook was open for a 3-pointer. Denver now leads 98-96 after he drained it.
Jokic shrugged when asked if Westbrook would feel more confident after Saturday’s performance in these playoffs.
“His confidence?” Jokic said. “I think he has the most confidence of anyone in this matchup.”
Jokic finished with 29 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds as the Clippers swarmed him every time he touched the ball. They were especially focused on being physical with him and limiting his effectiveness in transition.
That created a strange situation in the fourth quarter when Jokic tried to take the ball out of the hands of Clippers associate head coach Jeff Van Gundy and athletic trainer Jasen Powell, looking to inbound the ball quickly. But Van Gundy and Powell wouldn’t give the ball up and engaged in something of a wrestling match with Jokic.
Jokic has grown very good at getting out in transition and inbounding the ball quickly, so this has kind of become a theme. Mark Daigneault, the coach of Oklahoma City, was given a delay of game warning earlier this year for attempting to slow down Jokic’s fast inbounds plays by having a player stand close to the scorer’s table without really checking in.
Jokic and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia got into a similar altercation during a playoff game in 2023.
“I think definitely it’s not supposed to happen,” Jokic said of the tussle with Van Gundy. “The NBA wants to make a quick speed game. Inbound the ball quicker … that’s what they emphasized when they came before the season. They said sometimes when I take my shoes and this and that, I can steal a couple seconds, and they said I cannot do that anymore. But seems like they can do it.”
“My guys need to step up” if the bench is permitted to seize the ball in that manner when an opponent tries to steal it, Adelman joked, making fun of the scenario. However, Adelman said he was confident “the league will look at it.”
According to Christian Braun, a swingman for the Nuggets, Van Gundy, 63, appeared “pretty good.”
“He held his own,” Braun remarked. “He kept the ball in his grasp. For [Jokic], that was quite embarrassing. He is currently in the weight room.
When asked about Van Gundy’s strength, Jokic grinned and remarked, “It was two against one.”
