Russell Westbrook dribbled the ball from hand to hand inside the key, calculating the next move. In those few seconds, the hesitation must be miserable for a defender. Is he going right? Left? Decisions have to be made. Fast.
But so often Thursday, the chess match, game-within-a-game didn’t matter. Westbrook plowed straight ahead. Defender be damned.
With the Wizards in a do-or-die game, Westbrook bullied his way to the paint again and again as he and Washington clinched a playoff spot in a 142-115 win over the Indiana Pacers. Washington will now face the No. 1-seeded Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at 1 p.m. after securing the eighth seed in the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Westbrook, the league’s all-time triple-double record holder, fell two rebounds short of his signature stat — compiling 18 points, eight rebounds and 15 assists — but the Wizards fed off his energy.
In a must-win situation, the Wizards got contributions from everyone. Bradley Beal scored a game-high 25 points, Rui Hachimura chipped in another 18. Center Robin Lopez (9 points) even received “MVP” chants at the free-throw line.
But it was Westbrook, an actual former MVP, who engineered the offense. He was a game-high plus-30, meaning the Wizards outscored Indiana by 30 when he was on the court.
“Russell has an edge to him, guys,” coach Scott Brooks said. “And I think the world should appreciate that. Because you’re not going to see an athlete like this (in) many, many generations that want to win every possession, wants to play every night. He gives you everything. He’s just a hooper. And sometimes he’s an angry hooper, but he’s a hooper that just plays the right way.”
Just days earlier, Westbrook didn’t look like Westbrook. Despite a stat line of 20 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, the 32-year-old hardly powered to the rim in Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. As a result, Westbrook’s efficiency cratered: His 33% field goal percentage (6-of-18) marked his 11th worst-shooting night of the season — with most of those earlier performances coming over the first two months of the year when a torn quad regularly affected his game.
Tuesday’s performance led to questions about whether Westbrook was injured again. Cameras caught Westbrook sneaking to the locker room midway through the fourth quarter — and the nine-time All-Star said afterward he was dealing with “nicks and bruises.”
It was a tough 48 hours for Westbrook before he could get a chance at redemption.
“You could ask my wife, my mom, my brother, they’re probably so annoyed at me right now,” Westbrook said. “Honestly, I was just so pissed at my performance. I just wasn’t feeling my best when my team needed me the most.”
But the Wizards brought in Westbrook in December for a night like Thursday. When the Wizards made the bold decision to trade John Wall for Westbrook — swapping two of the perceived worst contracts in the NBA — Washington bet that Westbrook could lift its ceiling, something the franchise badly needed.
Over the last two years, the Wizards toiled away in mediocrity, unable to surround Beal with a talented enough supporting cast to make up for Wall’s season-ending injuries. Washington seemed stuck as a franchise, with pressure mounting for the Wizards to fully seize on Beal’s rise as one of the league’s top players.
Westbrook changed that — even with Washington’s horrific start to the year. At one point a few months ago— Brooks can’t remember exactly when — Brooks said Westbrook gathered teammates around after yet another loss and laid into them. Westbrook, Brooks said, told them that he didn’t come to Washington to miss the playoffs. He said wouldn’t allow it to happen, Brooks said.
“We were struggling and everyone was doubting us on the outside,” Westbrook said. “You have to figure out a way to knuckle up and make the playoffs. Simple as that. I didn’t care what happened in the previous games, but moving forward, we had to look ourselves in the mirror, starting with myself. I made it clear to the guys that we will make it.”
Westbrook’s health returning to normal also coincided with Washington’s surge in the second half of the season — perhaps not a coincidence.
Against the Pacers, Westbrook feasted early. This was a matchup that Westbrook dominated in the regular season — he averaged 27 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in three meetings, with two historic performances in particular — and Thursday was no exception.
The Wizards rattled off a 16-0 run in the second quarter — creating a double-digit cushion the team never squandered. Other Wizards also did their part.
Reserve center Daniel Gafford, who struggled with foul trouble in Boston, had five blocks — in the first half, most by a Wizard since JaVale McGee. The Wizards also shot the ball well from deep, easily surpassing their 3-of-21 performance against Boston.
By the third, up 19, Westbrook waved his arms to the Capital One Arena, causing an eruption of cheers. Later on, the fans began chanting “We want Philly” — looking ahead to the Wizards’ next playoff series.
It was the first time in three years that the Wizards’ fans could actually taunt for such a thing, and that their wish would come true. Sunday will be the Wizards’ first trip to the postseason since 2018.
Before Westbrook’s arrival.
