The Los Angeles Lakers played a huge game last night, which could have secured a sixth-place spot to them. However, their former teammate Russell Westbrook stood in the way of their playoff dreams. Although Westbrook was not one of the best players for them, he certainly made a huge impact with his 14 points, four assists, and three rebounds. And apart from the stats, the energy that he brings to the court was exceptional, as always. There is denying that the Lakers should have won the game, but time and time again, they have fallen short in front of their city rivals.
The 2020 champions have now lost eleven games in a row against their neighbors over time. The Los Angeles Clippers have shown that they are much superior and better on the court.
If the Lakers had won the game, it would have been impossible for anyone to take over the sixth seed from them. And sixth place would have translated into direct entry into the playoffs. But after last night’s loss, LA now sits at the seventh seed with a playoff chance via a Play-In tournament. This remains a possibility only if things don’t go horribly wrong in the last two games left in the league.
Anthony Davis Reveals The Lakers Plan In Post Games Interview
Rather than an explanation, it was a taunt that massively backfired and cost them their sixth place on the table. According to Anthony Davis, they wanted to let Westbrook shoot from a distance because of his poor shooting. And as per his stats on any given day, he would perform poorly when it came to shooting from a distance. But the former MVP went impressive 6-12 from the field and 2-4 from long range.
“Our game plan was for him to shoot the ball,” said Davis after the game. But he also said that “And he made them. He made the shots.” Looking at the stats Westbrook posed while he was in the Lakers, it did not look like a bad plan. But the 34-year-old point guard proved everyone wrong, including his ex-teammates. It was a massive blowout seeing the player maxing out his performance in their arch-rivals team.
Westbrook Again Responsible For The Lakers Downfall
When the season began, everyone was quick on their feet to put the blame for everything on the point guard. He did have a bad first season with the Lakers, but that put a target on his back. And when he came for the first to play against his former team last night, the fans were reminded of the same. Therefore they believe that even when he is gone, he is still responsible for the team’s loss in the league.
It is ironic how Russell Westbrook still holds the string of the Lakers’ future in his hands. Moreover, Anthony Davis did not perform his usual max performance. On the other hand, LeBron James did start slow but ended the game by scoring 33 points on the board.
