The Los Angeles Clippers finally ended their six game losing streak on Friday night, but it came with the benching of Russell Westbrook. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden tipped the game off together with Ivica Zubac and new starter Terance Mann.

The Clippers defeated the Rockets, 106-100, finally getting in the win column after nearly three weeks without a win. Russell Westbrook played just 17 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points, dishing out two assists, and grabbing three rebounds on 2-of-9 shooting from the field.

Despite wanting to keep Westbrook in the starting lineup, it was apparent that Tyronn Lue had to make a change in the midst of a six-game skid with a red-hot Houston Rockets team coming in after a four-day layoff.

“We've been talking about sacrificing minutes, shots, and then he sacrificed with just wanting to come off the bench and see if that would work,” Tyronn Lue said of Russell Westbrook. “And so when he first came here, he was all about winning and wanting to win a championship and whatever it takes to win. And so it was great to see him do that yesterday.

Russell Westbrook appeared to find a great groove and built solid chemistry alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George prior to the trade for James Harden. Since the deal went down, however, it’s been increasingly difficult to play Westbrook and Harden together in the same lineup.

“Russ sacrificed for the team and I know it was a tough decision,” James Harden said after the win. “Obviously he wants to start, but he’s sacrificing for the team. All in all is going to pay off better for us. And so just continue making sure everyone on this roster is playing well and we find out swag, our rhythm as a unit and individually as a team.”

Requesting A Change

After losing six straight games, Westbrook reportedly went to Tyronn Lue and the Clippers to ask if he could come off the bench to try and spark a change.

As Thursday’s practice was set to begin, both Tyronn Lue and Russell Westbrook were nowhere to be found and Lue had not spoken to the local reporters at his usual time before the start of practice. Instead, assistant coach Brian Shaw started the team’s practice, and Lue didn’t come out to speak with reporters until 10 minutes after the start of practice and appeared in no rush to get out of the press conference room.

A day later, ClutchPoints confirmed through a source that Russell Westbrook would indeed come off the bench in place of Terance Mann. Chris Haynes of TNT was first to the news.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Paul George said of his close friend and teammate. “It’s tough, but his energy and obviously there’s a tight chemistry there and so we’ve always played well off one another. It takes a lot, what he’s sacrificing, for us going forward to try and figure things out. Can’t say enough just about the character of Russ and just his energy.”

The Clippers are expected to continue rolling out this starting lineup and figure out the best in-game rotations as well as who fits best in their closing lineups. Westbrook hasn’t closed a game in three consecutive matchups, all but hinting at the fact that he’ll take the biggest hit as far as his role.

“Yeah, I mean that’s what it takes,” Kawhi Leonard explained after the Clippers win. “Whatever coach needs, you know, you just got to kind of suck it up and just go with it. Just see what the opportunity presents for the team and yeah.
”I mean, I’ve been there before starting my career and just every year just trying to see different ways you can win a basketball game. I think he’s gonna be good. It’s gonna take time for us all to figure it out. But I think he did well, came in the game, hit a big three for us, and got some stops, great defense.”

With Russell Westbrook moving to the bench, there will be continued opportunities for Norman Powell and Terance Mann to close games for the Clippers. Additionally, it will mean fewer opportunities for Bones Hyland, who has not played in three consecutive games as the Clippers try to sort through their best lineups and rotations.

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and the Clippers will face off against the San Antonio Spurs this week, where they'll look to extend their winning ways beyond just the one game.