Manhandled at the start of the match, the Clippers were up to 17 points behind in the first quarter against the Nuggets, and it was the contribution of the bench which was crucial to pick up the score. Entries from Norman Powell, Amir Coffey and Russell Westbrook brought a real boost to an attack which was humming until then.
At a press conference, Tyronn Lue wanted to highlight his replacements. More particularly Russell Westbrook, author of 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 24 minutes of play.
“ He brought energy, he attacked the basket and he went to the free throw line. » lists the Los Angeles coach. “On the defensive side, he deflected balls and made interceptions. He especially brought energy off the bench. And we need him to play that way with energy, attacking spirit. That's why I found it very good this evening. He set the tone coming off the bench to give us the necessary advantage. »
Two thunderous dunks
As is often the case, the former MVP left his mark with his boundless energy, and more particularly with two striking actions.
The first when he was launched in the alley-oop by Norman Powell in transition to punctuate a 13-0 and come back to within a point of Denver. A little later, he gave a 7-point advantage on another alley-oop. Launched by James Harden behind the defense, he rises very high to slam a superb dunk. Not bad, at 35…
“It has a lot of impact, especially since the guy is 35 years old and he still dunks like that” hilariously comments the former Cavs coach. “He’s a freak of nature. To have this energy every night is crazy. But that's his personality. This is why he is a Hall of Famer, and why he was MVP. Given what he brought tonight, we need a Russ like that every night. »
While Tyronn Lue had described his players as “soft” a few days ago, we imagine that he would like Russell Westbrook’s energy to be contagious. We had a glimpse of it in “money time”.
