Watch: Russell Westbrook mimics James Harden’s vintage celebration amid ‘The Beard’s’ performance
Russell Westbrook, James Harden and the LA Clippers whipped the Indiana Pacers 151-127 on the road on Monday. LA’s total output is their highest of the season so far. The Clippers did it by dominating the second and third quarters where they outscored the Pacers 77-56 before cruising to the win.
Harden had another spectacular outing, finishing with 35 points, nine assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. “The Beard” led five other Clippers who hit double figures in scoring to overwhelm Indiana.
As the Clippers watched their mob unit and James Harden close out the game, Russell Westbrook excitedly did this:
The “stirring the pot” celebration became viral in 2015 when Harden was still with the Houston Rockets. He was cementing his reputation as one of the game’s most unstoppable scorers during his early years in Houston. “Cooking” his opponents became a trend that several other players also followed him.
For most of the night, the Clippers “cooked” the Indiana Pacers, and it wasn’t just James Harden who was on fire. Kawhi Leonard had 28 points on 12-18 shooting while Paul George had 27 points, four assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Russell Westbrook came off the bench to tally 10 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Monday night’s win is the eighth straight for the LA Clippers. They are now 13-3 in their last 16 games after snapping out of a five-game losing streak. The Clippers are looking like the elite championship contender that they thought they would be once they acquired Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Russell Westbrook has been very supportive of James Harden
One of the biggest reasons why James Harden reportedly wanted to play for the LA Clippers was for the chance to reunite with Russell Westbrook. The two were teammates in Oklahoma and then later in Houston. When Harden arrived at Crypto.com Arena following the announcement of the trade, Westbrook couldn’t hide his excitement.
“Brodie” didn’t just give moral support to his close friend. He sacrificed a spot in the starting unit so Harden could thrive. Westbrook reportedly asked coach Ty Lue to move him to the bench to give the team better balance.
What Russell Westbrook did was quite a shock to many. He wasn’t so agreeable to do the same when he was with the LA Lakers. Darvin Ham and Westbrook reportedly had several conversations regarding the point guard’s new role with his former team before he agreed.
James Harden and the LA Clippers didn’t have to do that with Westbrook this time. “Brodie” has been incredibly supportive and accommodating to Harden. His sacrifice is also starting to bear fruit given how well the Clippers have been playing.