"They're just not going down for him" - LeBron James gets behind an out-of-form Russell Westbrook
LeBron James has come out in support of LA Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook. The point guard put in yet another insipid shooting performance, going 2-of-14 (14.3%) from the field for his eight points as the Lakers lost 116-125 to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
It was the third straight game Westbrook has tallied single-digit points.
Russell Westbrook over his last 3 games:
8 points (2-14 FG)
6 points (2-12 FG)
9 points (4-14 FG) https://t.co/aX6nfSGfho
James, however, doesn't appear to be perturbed by Russell Westbrook's shooting slump. He told the media after the Lakers lost what Westbrook needed to do to get back into a good shooting groove:
"Just keep working. Obviously, he's putting in the work and trust the work that you put into it. He's getting some really good looks, but they're just not going down for him."
LeBron on Russell Westbrook's shooting slump: "Just keep working. ... He's getting some really good looks, but they're just not going down for him."
When asked if Westbrook's confidence was affected by his poor shooting form or whether he was frustrated, James replied:
"We're all basketball players, NBA players. Everyone gets frustrated when they go through a slump. That's natural.
"Our team is built on depth and for the majority of the season, we haven't had that." @KingJames on the #Lakers adversity this year. https://t.co/ZnyRxQ3ywo
LeBron James put up 19th 30-point game of the season as LA Lakers lose to Sacramento
Aside from Westbrook's struggles from the field, LeBron James himself didn't have a great shooting night.
The 37-year-old superstar shot just 13-of-29 (44.8%) from the field and 3-of-12 (25.0%) from long-range as the LA Lakers were outscored 49-64 in the second half of the contest by Sacramento.
LeBron is leading the league in 30 point games…crazy 👑
(h/t @_Talkin_NBA ) https://t.co/FOnXtYErcx
The silver lining for LeBron James, though, was that despite his relatively inefficient shooting performance, the 19-year league veteran still managed to put up 34 points on Wednesday night. It was his 19th 30-point game of the season, the most by any NBA player in the 2021-22 campaign.
James has been in terrific form for the LA Lakers over the last three weeks as his 34-point night against Sacramento was his 11th 30-point outing in his last 12 games.
The bad news, however, for Lakers fans is that the team doesn't necessarily win when LeBron James goes for 30 or more points. Including tonight's loss against the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers have a 10-9 record overall when James scores at least 30 points.
LeBron James leads the NBA with 19 30-point games this season, including 11 of his last 12 games.
But after tonight's loss, the Lakers are just 10-9 when LeBron scores at least 30 points. https://t.co/1apmnHnZav
This stat is perhaps a little unfair on LeBron James given the number of health and injury concerns the LA Lakers have had over the course of their season.
Anthony Davis is currently out for four weeks while Carmelo Anthony sat out the game against Sacramento because of back issues. The Lakers also had a bunch of players entering health and safety protocols in December 2021 as a result of which they were severely undermanned for most of those contests.
The LA Lakers now have a chance to reverse their two-game losing streak when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.