"Russ wanted this one"- Paul George says Russell Westbrook had revenge on his mind when he took on the LA Lakers

Russell Westbrook and the LA Lakers had a tumultuous relationship over Westbrook's one-and-a-half seasons with the franchise. The veteran point guard was often used as a scapegoat for LA’s struggles due to his questionable fit with the team. Since the Lakers traded Westbrook ahead of the trade deadline, the team has been on an upward trajectory, finishing 43-39 (seventh in the West). This has led to increased speculation that Westbrook was holding the Lakers back. According to Westbrook’s LA Clippers teammate Paul George, Westbrook sought revenge on the Lakers during the teams’ matchup last Wednesday.

On a recent episode of “Podcast P with Paul George,” George spoke about how locked-in Westbrook was to start the game:

“I saw it from the beginning, Russ was gonna have a big game,” George said.

“Russ wanted this one. You could see it from the moment the ball was tipped off. I was specifically watching to see because I’ve seen Russ when he’s locked in, in Oklahoma.

“When he was first guarding (Austin) Reaves, Reaves threw the shot. He tried to smack the sh*t out of it. I was like, ‘Yeah, Russ is not going for nothing tonight.’”

George then added that it was a statement game for Westbrook:

“It was more so, he just got a statement. Like, ‘I gotta put a stamp on this,’” George said.

Westbrook finished with 14 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block, and two 3-pointers on 50.0% shooting against his former team. He did so in just 21 minutes. Meanwhile, the Clippers secured a crucial 125-118 victory, which helped them secure a top-five seed in the Western Conference.

How did the LA Clippers fare with Russell Westbrook this season?

LA Clippers veteran point guard Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook played a total of 21 games for the LA Clippers this season after signing with the team on the buyout market in February.

Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 3-pointers per game while shooting 48.9% and 35.6% from deep.

The Clippers (44-38, fifth in the West) went 11-10 with Westbrook. However, many of these games came with Paul George sidelined due to a knee injury. So most would agree that Westbrook did a serviceable job helping the Clippers stay afloat in the absence of George.

Westbrook and the shorthanded Clippers will now take on the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns (45-37) in the first round of the playoffs. The series will kick off on Sunday.