His season-high scoring performance fans the hope that the Lakers can still figure it out. Westbrook taking charge, too, was a good thing for the Lakers, who said they needed to see that kind of game from the willful guard who has been mired in a shooting slump for the better part of the last month. LeBron James says he can’t ‘condone’ Kyrie Irving’s actions 1, uplifts me and I think uplifts our group as well.” Related Articles “But just to be able to see them have an opportunity to be able to do so is something that No. “It’s good to see just as a teammate, as a person, besides basketball,” Westbrook said of the reserves getting minutes. Most notable among these was Kent Bazemore, who scored 13 points after not playing more than 10 minutes since Dec.
The Hornets led by as much as 20 points in the third quarter – making an older starting lineup with DeAndre Jordan and Wayne Ellington in place of Davis and James appear stuck in the mud.īut Vogel was proud of the way his veterans, many of whom have been out of the rotation recently, battled. “So I’ll live and die by that one.”Ĭharlotte had taken huge leads with a careless sort of ease, humming on the strength of pinball passing and Miles Bridges’ (26 points) soaring dunks in transition. The Lakers gave Westbrook a chance to drive, but the Hornets’ switching took that away.
FINALSHOT PHOTOS FREE
LaMelo Ball left a free throw on the rim, giving the Lakers the ball back with 9.2 seconds left to catch a two-point deficit. The Lakers got close again at the finish when Westbrook hit back-to-back 3-pointers and then Stanley Johnson converted a putback layup. His scoring was complemented by timely buckets and free throws by Carmelo Anthony (19 points), as well as some tough finishes and late 3-pointers by rookie Austin Reaves – who tied the score for the first and only time in the third quarter on a gutsy 3-pointer. His lightning-bolt pathways to the rim gave way to a drive-and-kick game that he’s honed for years. “It’s something that when the team needs me to do it, I’m able to still do it,” he said. Westbrook missed his first four shots of the half, but then followed up by making the next five, with four within 5 feet of the rim.
Once James and Davis (as well as Malik Monk) were listed out for the evening, it seemed daunting for the Lakers – who have lost big this season even when one of those stars turns in a big night – to pull out a road victory.Īfter scoring just five points in the first half, he diced up Charlotte’s undisciplined defense for 30 second-half points – the last Laker to score that many in a second half was Kobe Bryant in his farewell game in 2016. It was a strange night for the Lakers, who dropped to 2-3 on their longest road trip of the season but still seemed heartened by a vibrant effort when no one was expecting much. He knocks that down, we’re talking about one hell of a win.” He was 3 of 6 from three for the second half, and he went for the win. “I have no problem with the shot he took. “At that point, the hottest guy in the gym has the ball in his hands ready to make a play,” Vogel said. But tellingly, Coach Frank Vogel – who benched him in the last four minutes of a tight game just nine days earlier – was willing to live with Westbrook’s final miss because of everything that had preceded it. And while he was spectacular in a 30-point second half that showcased his recently dormant offensive brilliance, he still came up short on a 3-point attempt that could have secured a needed road win in Charlotte.Īs things stood, with a 117-114 loss to the spunky Hornets, the Lakers (24-26) were left wanting more. But as the 33-year-old has struggled to find his footing with his fourth franchise in as many years, the volume has only turned up on an uncomfortable suggestion – that his best, MVP-level days are long behind him.įor at least one night without his All-Star cohorts, Westbrook seized an evening for himself with James and Davis reduced to spectators by lingering soreness. The answer was supposed to be obvious, and it seemed that way at the start of the season: Russell Westbrook has shouldered such a load in the past. What would the Lakers even look like without LeBron James and Anthony Davis?
0 kommentar(er)
