In his first playoff game as an NBA head coach, Nuggets skipper David Adelman made a fascinating choice. He elected to close the game with the volatile Russell Westbrook over Michael Porter Jr., who had struggled throughout the game. That decision paid off, as Denver won game one 112-110 in overtime against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Throughout the fourth quarter and overtime, Westbrook oscillated between moments of brilliance and head-scratching decisions. I broke down Westbrook’s wild ending to this playoff game on my YouTube channel.
Westbrook totaled 10 points and four rebounds in the fourth quarter and overtime, sinking a corner three to give Denver the lead late in the fourth quarter. His energy immediately popped off of the screen, as Westbrook blew up plays on defense and crashed the offensive glass hard. He effectively sealed the game in overtime with his defense, stealing an inbounds pass intended for Harden.
However, Westbrook’s shaky decision making almost cost Denver the game at multiple points. On the final play of regulation, Westbrook caught the basketball with open space and the clock ticking down. Unlike the previous possession, Westbrook didn’t even attempt a shot and the Nuggets went to overtime.
Beyond Westbrook’s clutch corner triple, he missed the rest of his four 3-pointers in the fourth and overtime. Westbrook’s presence changes how the Clippers can play defense. Kris Dunn roamed off of Westbrook for the entire clutch period, daring him to shoot and blowing up actions without fearing his scoring.
Denver narrowly won their first playoff game, capitalizing on the high variance game state Westbrook allows for. There’s plenty of room for the Clippers to game plan and capitalize on this going forward, though, focusing more on rebounding and continuing to generate great looks from deep. We’ll see how both teams adjust to Westbrook’s presence throughout this series.
