Russell Westbrook got his first start of the season Wednesday night for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it was a doozy. He scored 40 points with 10 rebounds in an amazing comeback win over one of their biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The “nba rumors: lakers” is a new story that has been released today. It talks about how the Los Angeles Lakers benching Russell Westbrook with Mike D’Antoni as head coach, and how he responded with a strong game in win.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA — Russell Westbrook made up for his unceremonious departure in Wednesday’s defeat to Indiana by showing up ready to play in the Lakers’ 116-105 victory against the Magic on Friday, kicking off their six-game road trip in style.
After finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, Westbrook remarked, “My job as a player, as a professional, is to perform my job, continue to find ways to be able to help affect winning.” “That’s all I could think of as I turned the page, and that’s exactly what I attempted to accomplish tonight.”
Coach Frank Vogel was effusive in his praise for Westbrook, who was benched for the last four minutes of the Lakers’ defeat to the Pacers after the point guard struggled with a 5-for-17 shooting night and failed to execute defensively.
1 Related
Vogel stated, “Russ had a pretty solid basketball game.” “He came in with a laser-like intensity, was effective offensively, and brought a lot of enthusiasm to the game. He just wanted to impose his will, do his part, and have a good time.”
The Lakers trailed the Magic (8-39) by ten points in the third quarter, but grabbed control with a 21-4 run to start the period.
Westbrook, who shot 8-for-17, extended his streak to 10 straight games without scoring 20 or more points — the first time that’s happened to him since 2009, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Information — but he made a difference with the nature of those points.
“His assaults are tremendous,” LeBron James remarked after scoring 29 points to extend his scoring record to 16 games with 25 points or more. “I thought he did a fantastic job going to the paint, whether it was for his shot or to spray out [to shooters]. And today, the players really played off of his enthusiasm and drive.”
Carmelo Anthony, who came off the bench to score 23 points, commended Westbrook for playing at a “more controlled tempo.” With the victory, the Lakers are back at.500 (23-23). Westbrook noted his paint touches — either by drives or cutting off-ball to collect passes near the rim — are an obvious method to assist the team.
He said, “Just getting in the paint and finding ways to have an effect by doing that.” “I believe I can have an impact on this squad by always putting pressure on the defense, which is something I’m excellent at, and finding ways to give teammates open looks.”
It was nice for the team and fans to hear Westbrook’s postgame remarks concentrate on the specifics of the game rather than his overall fit or the state of the Lakers’ season, as has been the case so frequently since he arrived in Los Angeles.
“Russ has a lot of character,” Vogel added. “We knew we’d have to reply. We checked in later to make sure we were on the same page — we’re simply trying to win the game. And now it’s time to go on to Orlando. And he did an excellent job of sustaining that concentration, and we’re all dedicated to this group’s success. We continue to believe in what we can achieve. Throughout the year, there have been a lot of ups and downs. But we’ve made up our minds.”
L.A.’s longest road trip of the season begins in Miami on Sunday, followed by stops in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Atlanta.
“We got off to a good start today with a victory,” Westbrook said. “Get to Miami and find out a way to win there as well.”
“But it’ll be a long journey for us. A terrific bonding and togetherness vacation for our group, with the goal of coming together and winning some games, as well as creating some rhythm and confidence in our group that we can be the team that we all know we can be.”
Watch This Video-
Related Tags
- russell westbrook news
- los angeles lakers
- la lakers score
