Russell Westbrook has been through a lot this season. Even though athletes and celebrities are held to a different standard, you cannot but help feel sorry for the man. Westbrook has received immense criticism this season. While a lot of it is deserved, a lot of it is hate. The superstar hit the shot of shots for the Lakers today and silenced everyone that called him ‘WestBRICK’. The shot was against the Toronto Raptors to send the Lakers to overtime.
While the game hero was LeBron James as usual, Russell Westbrook played a solid sidekick to LeBron. The superstar showed glimpses of his past glory and had a 22 point triple-double. He had 10 assists and 10 rebounds, being extremely impactful on the game. To cap it all off, he made a huge play with 10 seconds left on the clock. Westbrook stole the ball, ran up the court, and sunk a 3 pointer to take the game to overtime.
The Lakers eventually won the game 128-123 with LeBron leading the way with 36 points,7 assists, and 9 rebounds. The shot going through the basket should be a huge confidence boost for Westbrook. Hopefully, he continues to build on this momentum and can help the Lakers compete in the Playoffs. The Lakers also had a solid contribution from Wenyen Gabriel who had 17 points in the game.
When asked (postgame interview) about how Westbrook maintained his confidence despite missing 3 point shots, Russ replied by saying he had 23000 points. . The win was a much-needed one for the Lakers. They had lost 11 straight road games and were in danger of falling out of the Play-In games.
While there is hope that the winning continues for the team, there is scepticism surrounding it. The Lakers have won games this season, but never consistently. If they do use this momentum moving forward, they could be a very dangerous team. With Anthony Davis primed to return by the time the Playoffs begin, Westbrook, him, and LeBron are still a dangerous trio.
