Clippers’ Struggles Continue Despite Russell Westbrook’s Return: A Look at the Team’s Identity Crisis

Six victories, as many defeats. This was the Clippers’ record in the absence of Russell Westbrook over their last twelve meetings. The return of the latter, last night against the Pacers, did not allow the Californians to change the dynamic to the positive.

The day after their defeat against the Sixers, they lost again, at home and by a significant margin. At the end of the meeting, James Harden (11 points at 3/7 and 7 assists) puts the subject of the Clippers’ lack of identity back on the table. “ Do we have an identity right now? I think so, we are soft. It can be an identity if you want to call it that. We must be stronger, mentally and physically », demands Tyronn Lue in response.

Against the Pacers, his team indeed lacked toughness. “ The only way to get through this is to play hard for 48 minutes, do things right every night, on every possession. Not two times out of five, not two times out of six. You have to do the right thing every time, then you can get through this », Judges the coach.

Get through this difficult time

The latter was able to count on an almost complete team, with all the senior players including Russell Westbrook. He brought his usual dose of energy in 18 minutes: 14 points (5/10), 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

« I thought Russ looked good, had energy. I think he pushed the pace. It’s something we need to build on moving forward. “, continues the technician, where James Harden is delighted to recover a veteran “ who has the same mission as us, namely to win the title ».

A goal that seems a little more distant today for the Clippers who have fallen to 5th place in the West, tied with the Pelicans. “ Don’t point fingers, don’t blame. Everyone must take stock of themselves, find how they can better help their team. This is where it starts, with ourselves. […] We know where our ceiling is, we know how to get there. In the end, it is my role as leader to hold the guys accountable, to hold myself accountable, and to ensure that we remain united in this difficult period that we are going through. », note Russell Westbrook.

After five straight defeats at home, he and his team will try to recover away from home, with a series of four trips (Sixers, Hornets, Magic and Kings). After this sequence, the Californians will play their last seven games of the year, including six at home.

Shots Rebounds Players MJ Min Shots 3pts LF Off Def Tot Pd Bp Int Ct Fte Pts Kawhi Leonard 64 34.1 52.5 41.9 88.7 1.2 4.9 6.0 3.6 1.7 1.6 0.8 1.4 23.7 Paul George 64 34.1 46.8 40.5 89.6 0.5 4.8 5.3 3.6 2.0 1.6 0.5 2.8 22.5 James Harden 63 34.7 44.0 39.7 88.2 0.5 4.6 5.1 8.5 2.6 1.1 0.9 1.9 17.2 Norman Powell 66 25.9 49.1 43.8 83.0 0.2 2.4 2.6 1.1 0.9 0.6 0.3 1.8 14.0 Ivica Zubac 58 26.2 65.7 0.0 69.7 2.9 6.2 9.1 1.4 1.2 0.3 1.2 2.7 11.4 Russell Westbrook 58 Amir Coffey 58 19.5 50.4 41.1 88.9 0.3 1.6 1.9 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.2 1.3 6.2 Daniel Theis 54 16.8 53.1 37.9 73.9 1.4 2.5 3.9 1.1 0.7 0.4 0.9 2.2 6.1 Bones Hyland 31 14.0 36.5 31.7 77.8 0.1 1.0 1.1 2.3 1.3 0.6 0.1 1.4 6.0 Mason Plumlee 36 14.7 61. 7 0.0 69.4 1.3 3.8 5.1 1.1 0.8 0.3 0.4 1.4 5.6 Kj Martin 2 15.7 40.0 20.0 50.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 0.5 1.0 1.0 0.5 1.5 5.0 Bj Boston, Jr. 26 8.5 42.3 30.0 68.2 0.4 0.7 1.2 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3 1.0 4.1 Robert Covington 3 23.1 33.3 25.0 50 .0 0.7 2.0 2.7 2.3 0.0 2.0 0.7 2.3 3.0 Nicolas Batum 3 18.0 37.5 28.6 0.0 0.0 2.3 2.3 1.7 0.3 1.0 1.3 1.7 2.7 Moussa Diabate 11 5.8 52.6 0.0 64.3 1.4 0.8 2.2 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.4 2.6 Kobe Brown 37 8.0 40.0 30.8 50.0 0.3 1.0 1.3 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 1.1 1.8 Pj Tucker 20 15.4 34.4 36.4 100.0 1.1 1.7 2.8 0.6 0.3 0.5 0.3 1.8 1.7 Jordan Miller 8 3.5 55.6 50.0 100.0 0.4 0.3 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.6 Xavier Moon 8 4.4 41.7 0.0 50.0 0.3 0.4 0 .6 0.6 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.5 1.4 Joshua Primo 2 5.1 33.3 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.5 0.0 2.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 1.0
2024-03-26 09:46:13
#Russell #Westbrook #soft #Clippers #Basket #USA

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