In March, the Los Angeles Lakers’ chances of reaching the play-in tournament were dwindling fast, and fair or not, most blamed Russell Westbrook.
His inconsistent and inefficient play was identified as the overwhelming reason the team was falling extremely short of expectations.
On March 18, L.A. took on the Toronto Raptors in Canada and appeared poised to suffer yet another heartbreaking loss.
Down 116-113 with 25 seconds left, the Lakers failed to tie the game on a 3-pointer from LeBron James. Westbrook grabbed the offensive rebound and fired his own trey – only to miss badly by hitting the side of the backboard.
Russ. 😳
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 19, 2022
It would’ve been fitting if the game ended on that miscue.
But seconds later, Westbrook made up for it by stealing the ball, heading downcourt, making sure he was behind the 3-point line and nailing a game-tying triple.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK CLUTCH!!!
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 19, 2022
In overtime, the Lakers took control and nailed down a 128-123 win.
Westbrook finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It started a run during his last 10 games of the season in which he played very well, averaging 22.2 points on 52.1% overall shooting and 41.5% from downtown, 7.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists and just 3.4 turnovers a game.
