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 43 points, his best playoff performance since he was blowing bubbles in Orlando in 2020, but the Nuggets separated themselves from the Clippers in a 131-115 victory 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 Game 1, and dropped 11 in the second quarter on Tuesday.

The Nuggets’ entire bench combined for 10 points in Games 3 and 4.

Nikola Jokic is the best player 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 said. “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 game 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 1:36 remaining in the first quarter, suddenly the team had it.

Westbrook let the Clippers know it, too.

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 game 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 3-pointer from the corner.

Moments later, he executed a floater as he tumbled to the floor. He screamed at every Clipper but Joe DiMaggio.

Some muffled M-V-P chants reverberated throughout the arena. The score read: Nuggets 52, Clippers 38. Denver never trailed, despite an average game from Nikola Jokic (a 13-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 finally working.

It was not early in the season.

Murray was playing himself into shape. And was too deferential to the 17-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 wanted more minutes for Jalen Pickett. And even some teammates wondered why Westbrook was getting treatment 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 team that a month ago was fraying at the seams.

“He’s coming in hitting 3s, playing defense, doing so many things on the court,” Murray said. “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 risk. 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 4:18 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 21 points on 15 shots, second most to Murray, math that will not work on Thursday. In Game 6, the Nuggets need Westbrook’s energy more than his offense in a potential closeout game.

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 always 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 said. “In Year 17, 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.”

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