Under-fire Lakers star Russell Westbrook impressed off the bench in his new reserve role as he helped the suffering team to its first win of the season.
The Lakers finally broke their losing streak Sunday night as they beat the Denver Nuggets 121-110 and secured their first win under coach Darvin Ham. Los Angeles was the last winless team in the NBA.
Westbrook had 18 points for the Lakers and drove the lane and scored on a layup to extend the lead to 117-106 in the final minutes as his team closed out the win.
Under-fire Lakers star Russell Westbrook impressed off the bench during Sunday night’s win
The Lakers finally broke their losing streak as they beat the Denver Nuggets 121-110
Westbrook had 18 points for the Lakers and extended his team’s lead in the final minutes
The point guard had faced a wave of criticism in recent weeks and the Lakers have reportedly been attempting to trade him after he has struggled to shoot the ball since his arrival in LA.
He had been named on the bench for the Lakers game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night, ending his streak of 1,007 straight starting appearances – the third-longest active stretch in the league behind Chris Paul and LeBron James, according to ESPN.
It was also reported that the Lakers intended for this new reserve role to be a permanent one for the ‘foreseeable future’.
However, Westbrook thrived in the role Sunday, proving his critics wrong.
Former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe took to Twitter to shower Westbrook with praise, writing: ‘I’m loving Russ in this new role. It’s only 2 gms, but he’s embraced it and looks good.’
Sharpe had previously claimed that the Lakers and Westbrook were done with each other after the guard half-heartedly joined a huddle during a preseason game vs. Minnesota.
‘I think I speak for a lot of Laker Nation fans. They ready to be done with Russ. Russ doesn’t wanna be a Laker, and the Lakers don’t want him,’ Sharpe said on his show ‘Undisputed’ earlier this month.
‘They done with Russ. I think Russ is done with them also… I’ve never seen somebody wave off a huddle.
It had been reported that the point guard would play a role off the bench for the ‘foreseeable’
Shannon Sharpe took to Twitter to shower Westbrook with praise, saying he liked the new role
Sharpe had previously claimed the Lakers and nine-time All-Star are done with one another
‘The Lakers made a mistake, Russ made a mistake in wanting to come to the Lakers. This is not gonna work.
‘As long as he’s on the team, the Lakers are not going to win a championship or really compete for a championship. I’m over this situation.
‘Hopefully, they can get some value out of him running the second unit. I hope that’s the case. But it would be so much better if they were just able to part ways.’
Following Sunday’s game, Ham said he told Westbrook that coming off the bench was going to help him and the team, that he was going to put him in a position to lead a charge off the bench that could build momentum.
‘It’s tailor made for our group as it’s built for him to be in that mode,’ the Los Angeles coach said.
Westbrook’s performance also earned him praise from his Lakers teammate and NBA superstar LeBron James, who said, ‘Tonight he was more and more comfortable in the role,’ before adding that it was a key in the win.
NBA superstar LeBron James (left) said Westbrook was key to the win, while Lakers head coach Darvin Ham (right) claimed the guard’s new role was tailor made for the team
Anthony Davis, who returned from injury, said he approached Westbrook in the locker room postgame to tell him how he is proud of him for how he accepted his role that Ham laid out for him, adding that his teammate is ‘flourishing’ off the bench so far.
NBA fans also took to the social media platform to express their delight at Westbrook’s seemingly newfound happiness.
Many noticed that Westbrook also appeared to be enjoying the game more than he has in previous weeks and the Lakers fans inside the Crypto.com Arena also shared the love.
‘Man im happy for Russ…..best I’ve seen him play in quite awhile….good to see him smile,’ said The Athletic’s Tony Jones.
One supporter posted: ‘Westbrook is the best cos he is doing his best and never let things get him down! Congratulations!’
Another added: ‘@Lakers should make @russwest44 the leader of the league’s scariest and most fun second unit. Great energy from him tonight!’
NBA fans also took to the social media platform to express their delight at Westbrook’s display
‘@russwest44 did his Thang good contribution on the W however we get it,’ said another.
Another insisted they hoped Westbrook’s infections joy continues whether the team win or lose as they posted: ‘He is bringing back that Happiness to the game…. Hope it continues win or lose. Just Happy for him.’
Another was hopeful the performance could spark Westbrook’s season. ‘Goddamn feels good to see him smiling interacting wit the fans cheering , hopefully this sparks something in him,’ they said.
James scored 26 points and Davis added 23 to help the Lakers onto their first win of the season.
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Many expressed happiness at the enjoyment Westbrook appeared to show during the game
Nikola Jockic scored 23 points and Jamal Murray added 21 for the Nuggets (4-3), who had four of their last five and two straight games before Sunday´s loss.
Austin Reaves made a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and Lonnie Walker IV drove the baseline for a dunk to give the Lakers a 113-100 advantage. That 13-point lead was their largest of the season.
The Lakers made 13 3-pointers after struggling with long-range shooting this season in their previous five games. The Nuggets made 15 3-pointers.
Davis was aggressive early after missing one game with lower back tightness and was questionable Sunday but played. He tweaked his back in the game against Denver on Wednesday when the Nuggets beat the Lakers 110-99 in Denver.
The Lakers led 55-51 at halftime. They trailed by as many as 10 points in the first quarter but overcame that deficit by halftime.
