Renck: Jamal Murray blitzed Clippers, but Russell Westbrook catalyst behind Nuggets’ rout

Kendrick Lamar s track bumps the lights flash and all the fury all the resentment comes out in animated gestures directed at the opponent s bench He has to let them know They Not Like Russ And the Clippers really do Not Like Russ Jamal Murray delivered points his best playoff performance since he was blowing bubbles in Orlando in but the Nuggets separated themselves from the Clippers in a - accomplishment because of Russell Westbrook In a series where stars alternate between being legendary and ordinary Westbrook has been the difference in the Nuggets two home wins He scored their final seven points in regulation in Challenge and dropped in the second quarter on Tuesday The Nuggets entire bench combined for points in Games and Nikola Jokic is the best participant in the world Murray makes the engine purr But it is Westbrook who is the catalyst There is just something about him The special thing about Russ is how stubborn he is That s how he plays When it rolls and he has it going it can be so impactful energy-wise interim coach David Adelman stated It s not just the fact that he made shots It s that he s out there rotating being a free safety on defense We all know we are going to need another tournament with that sixth man feeling It really helps us For fans Westbrook is Space Mountain inciting excitement and fear Inside the locker room he is a cure A calming force His confidence is contagious When Westbrook has it the crowd feeds off it And when he made a driving layup with remaining in the first quarter suddenly the crew had it Westbrook let the Clippers know it too Related Articles Renck vs Keeler Who will emerge as sleeper pick of Broncos NFL draft class Renck Big winner in Broncos draft Vance Joseph not Bo Nix Renck File Clippers reveal truth about Nuggets Bench stinks Trades needed Renck Sean Payton sends shock waves in draft becoming a Land Barron Renck Broncos Country trust Sean Payton to do right by Bo Nix in NFL draft He promised after the opener that he was not going to discuss how personal this series was for him after playing for the Clippers last season But we ve reached the point where the friction is real unfolding before our eyes Westbrook feels it Forced to sit out Saturday after suffering a foot injury in warmups Tuesday seemed less like a competition and more like a grudge Westbrook made a ridiculous bank shot the kind that makes no sense given his lack of touch on layups With Los Angeles threatening he sank a -pointer from the corner Moments later he executed a floater as he tumbled to the floor He screamed at every Clipper but Joe DiMaggio A few muffled M-V-P chants reverberated throughout the arena The amount read Nuggets Clippers Denver never trailed despite an average contest from Nikola Jokic a -point triple-double Westbrook was not the difference But he was a reason for the relatively easy win Yes Murray was ridiculous reminding us why he belongs in the conversation among the league s best shot makers The harder things become the better he gets Nothing comes easily for Westbrook These two are more similar than different Perhaps that is why this pairing is definitively working It was not early in the season Murray was playing himself into shape And was too deferential to the -year veteran Westbrook was brought in to help Murray not replace him But former coach Michael Malone leaned too heavily on the one-time MVP gave him too much freedom It created divisiveness in the building Ex-general manager Calvin Booth yearned more minutes for Jalen Pickett And even certain teammates wondered why Westbrook was getting remedy reserved for Jokic the franchise unicorn But now liberated by the coaching change and cleansed by the fresh start of the postseason Murray and Westbrook are helping connect a squad that a month ago was fraying at the seams He s coming in hitting s playing defense doing so several things on the court Murray explained We are going to need more of that I like when he s being aggressive and I am not the only one yelling at the crowd It s nice to have somebody else like that It carries a pitfall This is where Adelman deserves credit and why if the Nuggets win this series he should be named head coach With the fire alarms blaring facing decisions demanding urgency he has maintained a meritocracy Westbrook s first half was a virtual middle finger to the Clippers But after his yelling as he is wont to do he began fading He received a technical for yapping at Bogdan Bogdanovic Midway through the fourth quarter he committed two turnovers and clanked a pair of shots With remaining Adelman replaced him with Michael Porter Jr This is how you advance by making everything personal but not playing favorites Westbrook never returned He did his part scoring points on shots second preponderance to Murray math that will not work on Thursday In Battle the Nuggets need Westbrook s power more than his offense in a promising closeout challenge But he must maintain his anger his frustration his edge When Westbrook is telling off opponents referees and fans we will know the Nuggets are moving on to Oklahoma City I consistently remind myself every night to have fun And my fun may look a little different than everybody else s It may not be with a smile It may not be running around slapping hands Westbrook disclosed In Year I still have so much fun going out there against the best players in the world I live for these moments for talking a little mess I am all with it Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis