Asked how he has managed to cope with criticism aimed at him, Westbrook told reporters that he had never lost faith in his ability.
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Russell Westbrook was hailed by his teammate LeBron James after his clutch 3-pointer forced an OT and the eventual win against the Toronto Raptors.
Point guard, Westbrook, who has been going through an abysmal season by his lofty standards made a crucial play that brought the Lakers back into the contest. With 12.5 seconds left in the game, Westbrook came up with a crucial play after Toronto inbounded the ball. He then moved up the court and drained a contested 3 pointer with almost no time left. The team from LA ended up outscoring the Raptors 12 points to 7 in overtime to secure a hard-fought win.
Speaking after the game, the King called Westbrook a big-time player. He said, “I was actually looking at his feet when he was getting close to the three-point line. I saw him step on the three-point line and then slides his foot back before he released it. It was big-time IQ there on his part and a big-time shot by a big-time player.”
Former MVP, Westbrook has endured a frustrating first season back in his hometown, with the Lakers having lost 12 of their previous 15 games with the game against the Raptors proving to be a rare highlight for the purple and gold.
Asked how he has managed to cope with criticism aimed at him, Westbrook told reporters that he had never lost faith in his ability. He said, “I got 23,000 points… How about that? Throughout this whole process, throughout the year, ups and downs, the good and the bad, I lean so much on my faith. It’s very important that I stay faithful and truthful to that because eventually it will all work out, and nights like tonight was the reason why I stay just true to my faith.”
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LeBron James’ 36 points and Russell Westbrook’s 194th career and 10th triple-double of the season helped the Lakers overcome the Raptors. James finished the game with a stat line of 36 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists while Westbrook scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
After the game, LeBron was asked about his mindset as he fights to make the Lakers a winning team again. He said, “Just try to do whatever it takes. I’m just having a lot of fun playing the game. It’s not always about the wins and losses for me. It’s about the joy. I know the season hasn’t gone the way we would like it to go, but I’m having a blast just playing this game and be able to come out here in front of some of the best fans in the NBA. It was fun.”
