Lakers vs. Warriors takeaways: Russell Westbrook debut falls flat
Russell Westbrook walked into the Lakers postgame interview room Tuesday night wearing a gold T-shirt and red pants while talking on his cell, his answers to the media curt.
At times he had his hand on his chin and pecked at his phone.
It obviously was not the Lakers debut that Westbrook envisioned, his first game beside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, his first game back in his hometown, his first game to show the basketball world and those inside Staples Center why he was acquired from the Washington Wizards.
He missed nine of 13 shots, all four of his three-pointers, and finished with just eight points. Last season, Westbrook scored fewer than 10 points only once.
Asked about James and Davis offering words of encouragement following the Lakers’ season-opening 121-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Westbrook responded with a two-word answer.
“We talked,” he said.
Despite the efforts of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ shooting and defensive woes added up to a 121-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Here are five takeaways from the Lakers’ loss:
1. Westbrook never looked comfortable
He had five rebounds and four assists, but he was a minus-23 in the plus-minus department.
Because he attended Lawndale Leuzinger High and UCLA, he was asked about playing for a Lakers team that he followed in high school and in front of all the courtside stars with 17 NBA championship banners in the rafters.
“Um, I would say I wasn’t paying much mind, to be honest,” Westbrook said. “Nothing different than a normal gameday. Just happy to be home.”
Was he trying to do the right thing to fit in with James and Davis?
“I just got to figure it out,” Westbrook said. “That’s all.”
Was there anything you can take out of this game?
“Um, I’ll look at it and see,” Westbrook said. “Watch the film and see. But you know we didn’t win so there may be some stuff, but not much. At least from my perspective.”
2. Comic relief
Since Westbrook wasn’t forthcoming about his conversations with his teammates, James was willing to share what he said.
“I told Russ to go home and watch a comedy,” James said. “Do something that can put a smile on his face. He’s so hard on himself. I told him, ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s one game. I understand the competitor that you were. We’re all competitors and we all feel like s— when we don’t play well and play to our abilities. So, I completely understand that as well.’
While the Lakers struggled in a season-opening loss to Golden State on Tuesday night, fans at Staples Center were in midseason form in their return to packing the place.
“I just don’t want him to be so hard on himself. That was the one thing that I hoped to get through to him — don’t be so hard on himself.”
3. The Big Two
James (34 points) and Davis (33 points) were the only Lakers to score in double figures.
That’s not going to get it done for the team.
They were a combined 28 for 49 from the field and each had 11 rebounds.
“Those two guys were spectacular,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “Obviously big nights for both of them. We’re going to be pretty good if we get those type of performances.”
4. Bradley boost
The Lakers got a big lift from veteran guard Avery Bradley.
He entered the game in the fourth quarter and went made two of three shots from three-point range.
The Lakers were awarded Bradley on a waiver claim last week after he had been released by the Warriors.
He played 49 games for the Lakers during the 2019-20 championship season but declined to join the team in the bubble because of health concerns for his son. He averaged 8.6 points and 2.3 rebounds while playing strong defense.
His ability on the defensive end was a big reason why the Lakers brought him back.
5. Defenseless at the finish
At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led 85-83.
Then their defense went away in the fourth quarter, giving up 38 points.
“Well, we didn’t finish quarters well the whole night. I think they closed the gap at the end of the third,” Vogel said. “And then, obviously, you gave up a 38-point fourth quarter, so you do that, you’re gonna lose most nights. Our defense is just not on a string yet. I thought we did a good job being up on Steph [Curry], but the backside was much better in the first half than the second half.”
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