While the Los Angeles Clippers were losing badly to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of their first-round series, Russell Westbrook made sure his team didn’t go down without a fight on Friday.
Unfortunately for Clippers fans, the former MVP took the phrase a bit too literally when he got into a scuffle with the Dallas Mavericks, notably P.J. Washington.
With four minutes left and facing a 16-point deficit, Westbrook had the unenviable task of guarding Luka Doncic, who finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Doncic blew right past Westbrook, leading to a horse-collar-like foul by the Clippers guard. Doncic immediately took exception to it, which Westbrook responded to with a shove.
Earlier in the game, Westbrook had already received a flagrant foul one for a hard contest on a Doncic layup attempt. So, it was safe to say the Mavericks’ All-Star was less than pleased.
In the midst of the skirmish, Washington came to the defence of his Mavericks teammate and Westbrook could be seen throwing a jab in the direction of the forward.
Washington, acquired from the Charlotte Hornets mid-season, didn’t seem too bothered by the altercation.
After both parties were separated and officials reviewed the incident, Westbrook was assessed two technicals, one for his foul and follow-up with Doncic and a second for the swing at Washington. Meanwhile, Washington was given one technical foul but was still ejected for his role in escalating the scuffle.
It’s unclear if Westbrook was trying to send a message to Doncic and the Mavericks or simply frustrated by his own play in the contest. The nine-time All-Star, who had never previously been ejected in a playoff contest, left the game having scored just one point after shooting 0-for-7 from the field.
Dallas went on to beat Los Angeles, 101-90, as the Mavericks took a 2-1 series lead. The Clippers took Game 1 in a 12-point rout, but have since lost back-to-back contests.
It’ll be interesting to see if either Westbrook or Washington receive any supplemental discipline ahead of Game 4 on Sunday in Dallas.