Russell Westbrook

Kawhi Leonard scored the most points he ever has in a Clippers uniform, but it wasn't enough.

[Domantas Sabonis](/nba/players/2152455/domantas-sabonis/) fouled out of the game, the Kings turned to Fox, and he delivered, just as he has all season. He scored 45 points against the [Jazz](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/UTA/utah-jazz/) as a member of the [Raptors](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/TOR/toronto-raptors/) in 2019. The 45 points that he scored against the Clippers on Friday night are the most scored by a player off of the bench this season. Leonard has been rounding into form in recent weeks, and this was easily his best game of the current campaign. [Kawhi Leonard](/nba/players/1715792/kawhi-leonard/) didn't set a career high on Friday night, but he did score more points than he ever has before in a Clippers uniform. [Russell Westbrook](/nba/players/1622555/russell-westbrook/) made his debut with his new team on Friday night, and instead of easing the veteran guard into action in order to let him acclimate to his new reality, the Clippers employed the opposite approach and threw him directly into the fire. Monk dropped 16 in the fourth, six in the first overtime and eight in the second OT. He was also pretty efficient from the field, as he connected on seven of his 13 attempts. That was the final score of what ended up being the second-highest scoring game in [NBA](/nba/) history. The Clippers held a lead throughout much of regulation, and for a while it looked like they had it in the bag. [De'Aaron Fox](/nba/players/2355019/deaaron-fox/), in order to force overtime. The contests was a battle between the would-be third and fourth seeds in the Western Conference, with Sacramento leading L.A.

Russell Westbrook has been a Los Angeles Clipper for less than a week, and if we count the Utah Jazz, this is his sixth team in five seasons.

And despite the game not finishing the way they wanted to (in part because of a minutes restriction that kept George out of the second overtime), Friday's loss demonstrated how to avoid them, or at least most of them. This looks like the right situation for him to finally reinvent himself. After a decade-and-a-half in the NBA, his shot selection and ball control aren't likely to change dramatically overnight. [two layups](https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=34800&GameID=0022200902&PlayerID=201566&RangeType=0&Season=2022-23&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612746&flag=3&sct=plot§ion=game) in the second half, including one that would've put the Clippers up 14 with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Leonard and George get plenty of shots up too, but neither is anywhere near the distributor LeBron James is. It gave up 153 points in regulation, and Westbrook was minus-3 before the overtime periods. The chemistry between Russ and Paul George that dates back to their time in Oklahoma City was evident too. For spot-ups, he was at [2.9](https://www.nba.com/stats/players/spot-up?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*leonard) possessions per game and averaging 1.11 points. On one transition possession, George waved off Westbrook, and there didn't appear to be any angst from the latter over it. Westbrook's ability to push the pace was on display, which should help a team that ranked Instead of attempting to power through the two Kings who were back on defense, Westbrook dropped it off to Kawhi Leonard. And those takes cover the gamut.

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.

Sacramento's 176-175 victory over LA in double-overtime marks the 2nd highest-scoring game in NBA history.

The Clippers held a 145-131 lead with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter only for the Kings to force overtime with a 22-8 run. With the Clippers nursing a 162-156 cushion midway through the first overtime period, the Kings ripped off six unanswered points in 74 seconds. The Kings (34-25) created a 2-game cushion over the Phoenix Suns (33-28) and a 2-1/2 game edge over the Clippers (33-29) for third place in the West with 23 regular-season games remaining. Sacramento forced four turnovers within a 42-second span, leading to three Fox layups and a Keegan Murray dunk that cut the Clippers’ lead to 147-144 with 1:58 remaining in regulation. Trailing 175-169, they closed out the game with seven unanswered points, including Fox’s 19-foot jumper to put Sacramento up for good with 36.1 seconds remaining. That’s why in my opinion, our game is the greatest game on Earth.” “Kudos to the players. That’s because Brown has mostly preached defense during coaching stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-10, 2013-14), Los Angeles Lakers (2011-12) and now the Kings (2022-present). The Kings shot remarkably efficient from the field (65-for-111) and from 3-point range (18-for-41). But with the modern game consisting of quick scoring outbursts, a high volume of 3s and fast-paced offense, does it seem inevitable NBA teams will soon score at this rate on a more regular basis? The fatigue caught up to them on the second night of a back-to-back. No two NBA teams had scored at such a prolific rate since the Detroit Pistons edged the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime on Dec.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn't waste much time seeing how well Westbrook would mesh with his new team. The eight-time All-Star signed after he cleared waivers on Wednesday and was the starting point guard Friday night in a game against ...

The Clippers will need Westbrook to continue to get up to speed with only 20 games remaining in the regular season. He missed his first three 3-point attempts before making one in the corner in the first overtime. Still learning the offense, still learning where guys like the basketball and where to get the ball,” Lue said. Westbrook was waived by Utah on Monday after being traded to the Jazz by the Lakers on Feb. “It was great to get back on the floor. Westbrook’s Clippers debut was overshadowed in what ended up being the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history.

In a game that effectively resembled a belated NBA All-Star exhibition matchup, the Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Sacramento Kings, 176-175, ...

The Suns have all the top-end talent in the world now, but any argument you could make against this Clippers team you could also make against them just as fiercely. We also don’t typically match up well against the Grizzlies, but they have shown some real signs of weakness this season too, and don’t have much by way of playoff experience. There were 58 minutes of basketball played in The Crypt in total last night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to beat them this time, and there were moments when Westbrook was on the floor that played straight into De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk’s hands especially. Russ had 17 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, with 14 assists and 5 rebounds in 40 minutes. However, 25 turnovers ultimately killed the home team, in front of a packed crowd there to witness Russell Westbrook’s first game as a Clipper.

After beating the Clippers Friday, Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox responded to a Russell Westbrook question with an NSFW message.

Here’s to hoping that Fox and the Kings finish the season off strong so they can secure home-court advantage in the first round. De’Aaron Fox dropped 42 points in 45 minutes of playing time for the Kings, while [Russell Westbrook](https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-lakers-clippers-fans-react-to-russell-westbrook-becoming-a-starter-again) finished with 17 points and 14 assists in his Clippers debut. It’s been 16 years since the Sacramento Kings have qualified for the postseason, but the current team is on track to break this drought.

Westbrook III has been a solid presence on the offensive end of the floor of late, dishing out at least eight assists and scoring at least 15 points in four ...

[Game Recaps](/nba/game-recaps.php) [Clippers Correspondent](/nba/team-news.php?team=LAC) [Chris Schommer](/news/correspondents/chris-schommer.php)

In this week's letters to the Los Angeles Times Sports department, readers go over the pros and cons of Russell Westbrook joining the Clippers.

3 team yesterday 10-0 in five innings, but it wasn’t even worth a one-line mention in the Day in Sports column. But with a little help from The Times and others maybe it will someday be on the same level as the X Games. I have no delusion that track and field will ever be on the same level as the NFL or NBA. Let me get this straight: UCLA basketball players Jalen Hill, Cody Riley and Li'Angelo Ball stole sunglasses in China and were suspended for a season while Alabama star Brandon Miller supplied the gun used in a murder and he won’t miss a game. [Hernández: A Red Sox employee was suspended for sign-stealing role. [hired a key figure](https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2023-02-19/hernandez-dodgers-jt-watkins-red-sox-sign-stealing-scandal) from the 2018 Red Sox staff who technically cheated to help defeat them in that year’s World Series. [tries to write a nice column](https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2023-02-22/freddie-freeman-in-year-2-with-dodgers) about Freddie Freeman, doing a good job showing why the fans and his teammates fell in love with him so quickly last season, and he has to end it with a classless dig? Let’s quit whining and enjoy the “spectacle” for what it is. The Clippers’ decision to sign Russell Westbrook is really dumb. Russ isn’t going to fill the stat sheet or be a defensive stopper, but he can help raise the first Clippers’ banner. :: [would tell Russell Westbrook](https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2023-02-20/clippers-reportedly-plan-to-sign-russell-westbrook) not to shoot threes, unless the clock is running down, since his three-point shooting is practically the worst in the NBA.

Westbrook debuted in a historic game between the Clippers and Kings.

Russell Westbrook made his debut with the Clippers on Friday night, and it only took him one game to find his way into the record book.

If that’s a sign of anything, it shows that the Clippers could finally be able to reach their potential now that they have Westbrook running their offense. this season, especially given the struggles Leonard has had at times in his return to the court after a year-plus layoff, but the Clippers haven’t necessarily had the personnel alongside him and Goerge to help them succeed. While Los Angeles will be upset that they ended up falling short in a thrilling 176-175 loss to the Sacramento Kings, they will likely be pleased with Westbrook’s debut for them.

According to Gilbert Arenas, Russell Westbrook is the kind of player who can turn any playoff team into a title contender.

They will undoubtedly benefit from having Russell Westbrook as a point guard since it will ease the burden on their key players. After trading Reggie Jackson and waiving [John Wall](https://twitter.com/JohnWall), they still possessed Leonard and PG, two of the league’s most talented offensive players. Arenas also stated that no team in the league has a chance to defeat Phoenix if Russ comes off the bench. Russ’ game is entirely different from the two stars’ games. Appearing on the “No Chill” podcast, the former NBA player claimed that Westbrook could easily alter the course of teams this season due to his talent and style of play. Who wins the championship this year depends only on one man.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn't waste much time seeing how well Westbrook would mesh with his new team. The eight-time All-Star signed after he ...

The Clippers will need Westbrook to continue to get up to speed with only 20 games remaining in the regular season. He missed his first three 3-point attempts before making one in the corner in the first overtime. Still learning the offense, still learning where guys like the basketball and where to get the ball,” Lue said. Westbrook was waived by Utah on Monday after being traded to the Jazz by the Lakers on Feb. “It was great to get back on the floor. Westbrook’s Clippers debut was overshadowed in what ended up being the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history.

The LA Clippers were hurt by this call vs. the Sacramento Kings.

After weeks of voicing his opinion, Paul George was finally reunited with his good friend Russell Westbrook. Westbrook's debut came with a game that broke ...