PHOENIX — With just over eight minutes left in the first quarter, the Phoenix Suns tried to run a stack pick-and-roll, with shooting guard Bradley Beal setting a back screen on LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac while Phoenix center Drew Eubanks rolled to the basket following a ball screen for point guard Devin Booker. Beal was being defended by Russell Westbrook, who was starting his first game since November while starting point guard James Harden was ruled out due to right foot inflammation.

As Booker turned the corner, he tried to hit Eubanks before Terance Mann could recover. But Westbrook was reading the action the whole way and jumped the route: pick-six.

Can’t stop, won’t stop BRODIE 🔨😤 https://t.co/UUwSy7V6T9 pic.twitter.com/rZ2tIkssFy

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 10, 2024

Westbrook had as many dunks (2) as the Suns had points with 7:58 left to play in the first quarter. The Clippers jumped out to a 37-6 first-quarter lead behind a defense spearheaded by Westbrook, and in a game that the Clippers played without Harden or All-Star power forward Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers beat the Suns 105-92 to secure a Pacific Division title and a playoff spot.

The Clippers started a lineup that left the Suns unprepared on both ends of the floor: Westbrook at point guard, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Norman Powell at shooting guard, Mann at small forward, All-Star Paul George at power forward and Zubac at center. Westbrook took on the assignment of guarding former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant, and Suns players not named Eubanks went 0-for-16 from the field in the opening quarter of play.

“Kev is one of the best scorers the game has ever had,” Westbrook said on defending Durant, who went 0-for-5 in the first quarter and scored 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting overall Tuesday night. “I knew my job would be difficult. But he can’t score if he don’t touch it. And our job is to try to make him shoot difficult shots throughout the whole game, and find ways to be able to make it difficult for him and the rest of the guys as well. Setting the tone.”

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led 37-10, with the Suns missing 17 of 19 shots. The Clippers led by as many as 37 points in the first half, leading by 33 points at halftime for the second time in five days (they led the Utah Jazz 75-42 at halftime Friday night in L.A.). By the third quarter, Westbrook secured his 199th regular season triple-double, extending the NBA record. It was his first since January 2023 while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 15 assists, 2 steals, and 2 3s while playing a season-high 39:41.

“God’s willing … I’m grateful for His grace and ability to get me ready and back to do my job,” Westbrook said in his ninth game back after missing 12 games due to a fractured left hand. “No surprise on my end, because I know I prepared very well. I take a lot of time to prepare for games, no matter how many minutes and how much time I’m on the floor. I’m grateful for my teammates, and God for believing in me and allowing me to go out and hoop tonight.”

By halftime, Westbrook’s last four quarters of basketball (from Sunday’s comeback win against the Cavaliers through the first half Tuesday night in Phoenix) saw the Clippers outscore their opponents by 56 points in just over 37 minutes of time Westbrook was on the floor. Westbrook’s impact opened up the games of many of his teammates in Phoenix. Zubac had his sixth straight double-double, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Mann had 17 points (8-of-10 field goals) and 10 rebounds. The Clippers are 11-0 this season when Mann, Harden, George, or Leonard get at least 10 rebounds in a game.

“We’re locked in,” Mann told The Athletic Tuesday night after playing 37:38, his second-most minutes of the season.

“Russ being Russ, man,” George told The Athletic. “Russ is as good as it comes when it comes to playing 48 minutes.”

The Clippers had to play Tuesday’s game out, losing 30 points of a 37-point lead as the Suns overwhelmed the Clippers by going small, forcing turnovers, and drawing fouls. It took Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue longer to pull Zubac off the floor to defend the perimeter, which Lue chalked up to being stubborn. But ultimately, the Clippers were able to finally close the door, with the Suns shooting only 33.7 percent field goals. That was the second-lowest field goal percentage by a Clippers opponent in the last seven seasons.

“We were defending at a high level,” said Lue. “To hold this team to 92 points with all the firepower they have, just says a lot about our mentality and how we’re trying to build going forward going into the playoffs.”

Wednesday will mark the fifth game in seven days for the Clippers, as they host the Suns in L.A. While the Clippers clinched a playoff spot, they also were locked into the 4- or 5-seed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City all winning Tuesday night as well.

The Dallas Mavericks, L.A.’s most likely quarterfinal opponent, also won in Charlotte to keep the Clippers from clinching home-court advantage in the conference quarterfinal. That’s the last item the Clippers have left to play for, and they will have three chances to get it done. Following Wednesday’s game against the Suns, the Clippers will close the regular season out against the Jazz and Houston Rockets at home. Lue wants the Clippers to get the fourth seed as soon as possible.

“Our fans have been great all year, all year long,” Lue said. “And we’ve been through some tough times, we’ve been through some great times. And our fans have been behind us 100 percent. And we know when the playoffs start, we want to have home court in front of our great fans and lay it out on the line. So we’re excited about that, excited for the opportunity. But one more game to solidify that four-spot, and we’ll go from there.”

It is uncertain who will be able to play for the Clippers on Wednesday. Leonard did not make the trip while missing a fifth straight game due to right knee inflammation, Harden did not participate in shootaround, and George played 39:02. While George said that the team “got another one tomorrow, focusing on that,” he also played 44:07 in Sunday’s comeback win over the Cavaliers, making him a prime candidate for a rest day with the playoffs starting next weekend.

But Westbrook seems ready to go. He did not seek a game ball for his first triple-double in nearly 15 months, but he told The Athletic that if he got another one for his 200th regular season triple-double, he would. And overall, Westbrook is just part of the depth for a Clippers team looking to achieve something even greater this spring.

“You change the narrative, the time is now,” Westbrook said about the Clippers, a team looking to earn its first NBA Finals berth. “We have other guys in this locker room that compete, can play, at the highest level. My job as a point guard is to be able to trust in those guys and find ways to make the game easier for them.”

(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)