Russell Westbrook’s impressive performances off the bench saw the Crypto.com Arena reverberating with MVP chants for the point guard.
And on his part, Westbrook believes that his hustle will do the talking. Despite his stellar outing (26 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists), the Los Angeles Lakers were outplayed 116-130 by the Utah Jazz.
After being the side’s offensive powerhouse in the third quarter, fans brought up the MVP chants when the 33-year-old took the free throw line and Westbrook, safe to say, considered it a blessing.
Speaking to the reporters after the loss, Westbrook was candid when asked about the MVP chants — coming after a point when he was booed and heckled by the same fanbase. Per Lakers Nation:
“Honestly, I’m just grateful and blessed, and I give all my thanks and all my credit to the man above to allow me to be able to compete,” Westbrook said. “Good games, bad games. Off nights, good nights. I’ll just let my play and my work speak for itself.”
He also added the reason behind his newfound consistency:
“Just constantly just keep bringing it. But I know how to do it. Not just play basketball with a competitive fire and spirit and let my energy kind of be contagious. Try the best way I can to be able to come in and be effective some way, somehow. If continue doing that, it will put us in the right position.”
Westbrook was ably assisted by Anthony Davis (22 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists), while LeBron James chipped in with 17 points. Lonnie Walker IV added 19 to the tally, while Troy Brown Jr. had 12.
Darvin Ham Blames Lack Of Defensive Effort That Overshadowed Russell Westbrook’s Good Day Out
The Lakers may have been great offensively after being subpar so far, but they were let down by their defense, which was one of the strongest points in their season so far.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham called the effort inept while also adding that the Purple and Gold were a step behind. In his postgame interview, he urged for better results. According to Yahoo, he said:
“We took a huge step backwards tonight …we can’t play like that.”
He further added:
“We have a huge laundry list of things we can show them tomorrow,” Ham said. “… It was the first game I felt like we weren’t there defensively.”
The Lakers are now 2-6 from their eight games so far and will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday (November 8), where they will hope to record a massive win against a clinical unit led by Donovan Mitchell.
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