The Sacramento Kings pulled off an upset win over the Los Angeles Clippers last night, emerging as 118-109 winners over a surging Clippers team that had won four straight. Former Clipper Russell Westbrook played a crucial role in the Kings’ win, putting up 12 points (4-15 FG), 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game that Kawhi Leonard left with an ankle injury. brkoen
Westbrook’s triple-double vaulted the Kings to a win against his former team. This win means Westbrook has played a key role in a win over five of his six former teams this season. Given the Kings have won just 17 games this season, these wins show real impact from Westbrook, who plays his best when he’s angry and motivated.
If facing the Clippers wasn’t enough motivation, Westbrook got another reason to hold onto bad feelings while on the court. The 37-year-old guard was on the receiving end of trash-talk from Kris Dunn in the final minute of the game, prompting Westbrook to go off on a tirade against the 31-year-old Dunn.
“You a nobody ass n****. Nobody. Who are you? Try me. You ain’t trying s**t. Go sit your bum ass down. F**k you talking bout?”
“You a nobody ass nigga. Nobody. Who are you?. Try me. You ain’t trying shit. Go sit your bum ass down. Fck you talking bout”.
Russ to Dunn 😭 pic.twitter.com/4JttdtRcHx
— 𝙀𝙧𝙖 (@TheWestbrookEra) March 15, 2026
Dunn is notorious for how he attacks opposing guards while on the court. This Westbrook example is much tamer than when Luka Doncic dropped a first-half triple-double while being guarded by Dunn after some unsavory trash-talk. Most good teams have a defensive specialist whose trash-talk gets under the skin of opposing stars, and Dunn serves that role for the Clippers. He’s averaging 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists this season.
Westbrook might have had a losing season, but he’s averaged 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists over the course of the year. He’s had some tense moments, including his recent tirade against media members, but it’s just a reflection of the dogged personality Westbrook brings to the court for each game. There’s no doubting that Westbrook is one of the nicest guys in the league off the court, but he’s a competitive demon when on the court.
Dunn joined the Clippers in 2024, the same summer Westbrook departed to join the Denver Nuggets. Their paths have crossed 16 times on an NBA court, with Westbrook winning 10 games compared to the other winning just six. Westbrook has averaged 14.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in these games, while Dunn averaged 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
They have performed different roles over their NBA careers, with Dunn as a role-playing defensive guard while Westbrook is a former league MVP.
This loss was a rough one for the Clippers. It sapped their momentum on a five-game win streak, and it also caused an injury to star player Kawhi Leonard. Westbrook’s redemption might end up being a smaller storyline than the fallout of this loss on the Clippers season, but it was still a bright moment for the 17-year NBA veteran amid a season with few of those.
