LOS ANGELES — This was going to be one of those “get right” games, an opportunity for the Clippers to fix issues that threatened to undo the good they had accomplished the previous two months.
The lowly Washington Wizards, winners of just nine games this season, were the perfect opponents to get that done.
And the Clippers didn’t waste the occasion, coming away with a needed 140-115 victory on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
But the feel-good victory was tempered by the news that Russell Westbrook suffered a fractured left hand during the first half, spoiling his bobblehead night.
There was no further word from the Clippers on how long Westbrook would be out.
Unlike their previous eight games, though, the Clippers (37-20) cut down their turnovers (nine), played hard on defense, especially in transition, and shot 57.4% from the field and 40.6% from 3-point range to get back to winning. They had lost four of their past eight games, including the previous two.
Having All-Star wing Paul George back on the court made that easier.
George returned after missing the previous two games because of meniscus irritation in his left knee and quickly made up for lost time. He had 17 points in the first half and finished with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes.
Having George back took some of the load off fellow All-Star Kawhi Leonard, who has been carrying the team lately. Not that Leonard didn’t do his share. He scored 27 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists.
James Harden led the Clippers with a team-high 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting (6 for 9 from 3-point range) and eight assists. He scored 21 of his points in the second quarter.
Instead of getting discouraged by Westbrook’s injury, the Clippers maintained their focus throughout the second half. Coach Tyronn Lue said he reminded his team before the game that if they simply competed at a high level, “everything else will take care of itself.” They listened, stretching…
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