How about the Warriors as well switching gear in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Clippers 42-16 and then somewhat let go of the pedal but still a decent win in the 4th, 28-19. And so the Clippers is still win less when the acquire Westbrook.
Even without Curry, the Warriors are still a tough team. Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole led the Warriors to a big win. The second half belonged to the Warriors as they dominated the Clippers with their efficient shooting. The big news is that the curse continues: Westbrook is now officially 0-4 after joining the Clippers.
They also played good defense in the last 2 quarters, forcing turnovers. Even Kawhi can't post up with a small guard on him. On the other hand, if I'm not mistaken, there were 2 steals from Russ, so yeah, 0-4 for him as a Clipper.
Russ might be playing in the second unit because the team's strategy doesn't seem to be effective anymore. It was a tough loss for the Lakers because they started well but were fully dominated in the second half. The Clippers were blown out by a Curry-less Warriors. They need to reflect on what happened and analyze what went wrong.
Not to add more salt in the wounds for the Clippers, but they went to 4th seed to now 7th seed when they add Russell Westbrook to the team.
I think Mann, Norman Powell and to some extend Hyland and Covington has lost in the rotation already because Russ is taking the brunt of their time in the floor. And so far, it really hurts the Clippers, because even if there is no Steph Curry, they lost with a huge gap. They enough gave him enough space to take that shoot but Russ are not going to take that bait.
Yes, what we are saying here is based on our observation and it's painful to admit, but the truth is that if the team doesn't take immediate action, they might miss the playoffs. Westbrook is a talented player, but if he doesn't fit well into their system, there will be a huge chemistry problem, and that's what we are seeing it now.