The Los Angeles Clippers destroyed the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. The final scoreline came out as a 105-92 win for LA, but this does not reflect how the Clippers totally dominated Kevin Durant and Co., mounting a 37-point lead at one point in the game.
KD battled against a familiar foe in this one as he faced off against former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook, who himself came out with one of his best performances in a Clippers uniform.
Los Angeles Clippers News: Russell Westbrook Makes Bold Claim
Westbrook logged his first triple-double for the Clippers on Tuesday. He finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in 40 minutes of action.
The former NBA MVP had a bit more run against the Suns amid LA’s injury woes. Both Kawhi Leonard and James Harden were out of action on Tuesday, which prompted head coach Tyronn Lue to give Westbrook a spot start.
Throughout the season, though, Russ has been an integral part of the Clippers’ second unit. Westbrook has willingly embraced his role off the bench — one that he feels he has excelled in tremendously:
“Ain’t nobody better than me coming off the bench, in this league,” Westbrook said, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
That’s a pretty audacious claim coming from a dude who isn’t even in contention for this season’s Sixth Man of the Year.
According to Westbrook, he brings so much to the table. He credited his own defense as a mitigating factor in making him such a valuable asset for the Clippers:
“When I’m on the floor, I’m able to do other things,” Westbrook said. “Defend at a high level, which I think I’ve been doing pretty much better than anybody in the league this year.”
Westbrook is no longer the superstar he once was but there’s no denying that he is still a key player for the Clippers. The 35-year-old knows the role he needs to play for the team and in true Russell Westbrook fashion, he’s taken the challenge head-on:
“I know who I am and what I’m able to bring to the game,” Westbrook told ESPN. “Nobody’s able to do what I can do since I got in this league. And the reason why I’m in the position I’m in is because nobody ever knew I could do [it on a] night-in and night-out basis.”
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