Westbrook posted 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes as the Lakers escaped vs. the Spurs, 125-121 in overtime.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have stumbled out of the gate this season, and through three games the Russell Westbrook experiment has not gone particularly well. Entering play on Tuesday, Westbrook was shooting 34 percent from the field, including 1-for-11 from 3 and 41 percent from the free-throw line.
A thriller in San Antonio #LakersWin@AntDavis23: 35 pts, 17 reb, 4 blk@russwest44: 33 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast@AhmadMonk: 17 pts pic.twitter.com/G7csQ6FV4w
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 27, 2021
In San Antonio, that changed. With LeBron James sidelined due to a sore leg, Westbrook posted 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes as the Lakers escaped vs. the Spurs, 125-121 in overtime, to even their record at 2-2 on the season.Â
Anthony Davis was equally dominant, posting 35 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks in 42 minutes.Â
It goes to show how vital LeBron continues to be for a Lakers team that needs this kind of performance from Russ and Davis just to squeak past the Spurs in overtime. And the question still remains whether Westbrook can play like this in a less featured on-ball role when LeBron is back.Â
At the very least, Westbrook and Davis should be staggered with LeBron and be able to ruin opposing bench lineups with their two-man game, and the Lakers have experimented with using Westbrook as a screener/short-roller for James to unleash his playmaking in advantage situations while mitigating his shooting.Â
Westbrook remains a blur in the open court and his zero-to-sixty bursts to the rim are still extremely difficult to defend. He had a few big-time driving finishes in crunch time, and it was good to see Westbrook get in a good rhythm on Tuesday. Hopefully it will lead to more consistent performances moving forward.
It’s all good vibes and winning with the Chicago Bulls right now. They hold the best record in the Eastern Conference (4-0), employ the sixth-ranked defense in the league and their offense looks much improved from a season ago. In a 111-108 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine added another layer to the good vibes cake, as he passed Michael Jordan on the Bulls’ all-time 3-pointers made list.
LaVine now sits fourth on the Bulls list with 558 made 3s. Scottie Pippen sits ahead of him at No. 3 with 664 made 3-pointers. Kirk Hinrich who holds the top spot with 1,049 made 3s with the Bulls, followed by Ben Gordon, who’s second with 770 buckets from deep in Chicago. Â
LaVine’s been on a tear to start the season thus far, averaging 25.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from deep and 50 percent from the field. Though the Bulls have been a more balanced team on offense this season, LaVine’s place in all of it hasn’t changed much as the most potent scorer in the lineup. His 3-point shooting only improves with each passing season, and so far it looks like his efficiency from deep has taken another step forward.Â
As notable an accomplishment it is for LaVine to pass Jordan, the Bulls have their sights on bigger goals, with making the playoffs at the top of the list. Chicago hasn’t been to the postseason in four years, and the Bulls have the talent this season to end that drought.
