Lakers: Russell Westbrook Accomplished Something on Tuesday Night That He Has Not Done in 6 Years
Everything seemed to be going the Lakers' way on Tuesday night. With an opportunity to win their third straight game and get on a roll, LeBron James and Malik Monk came up big to carry them. They also got a little bit of help from the officiating crew who blew a few calls that went against the Kings.
But most importantly, the Lakers got a very rare performance from Russell Westbrook. Often loose and careless with the ball, Russ had ZERO turnovers in the contest and put up 19 points of his own. His assists were much lower than they have been as of late, but he took care of the ball.
The performance was so rare that Russ has not done it in the regular season since 2016. It was in March of that year that Westbrook did not turn over the ball one time, doing it against the Trail Blazers and putting up 17 points. His Lakers numbers on Tuesday were very similar.
It's a huge step for Westbrook, who has fallen out of favor with Lakers fans as the season progresses. He turned the ball over nine times on Sunday in their win against the Timberwolves and is averaging close to five a game all season.
If he can continue to keep those turnover numbers down, Russ will be huge for the Lakers' success. Too often he has been a detriment to the team by being careless with the ball.
