Lakers: Russell Westbrook Posterizes Rudy Gobert With a Huge Slam

WHAT. A. SLAM.

Monday night just seemed to bring a different kind of energy out of Russell Westbrook. Even if his stat line didn't entirely reflect it, it really felt like Russ found a new gear as the Lakers took down Utah. 

Facing a very good Jazz team after a rough losing streak, the Lakers came out and played phenomenal defense. They had the Jazz to just 46 points in the first half and the offense maintained to keep a lead.

But Westbrook's 2nd quarter dunk was what really got Lakers fans to their feet. With an 8 points lead, Russ drove down the lane and went up and over Rudy Gobert for the slam. It was electric. 

After the Lakers win, Russ spoke about the dunk that brought Crypto.com Arena to their feet. In his mind, that kind of juice was exactly what the team needed to carry the momentum in the third quarter. 

I think for our team, it gave us an extra boost going into halftime. Some swagger, which we need, especially right now. It's a good team to beat, tonight we did a good job of doing what we do best and defending and playing hard. It was a good win for us. 

In the end, Russ put up 15 points and put up 8 rebounds while dishing out 3 assists. He got to the line just 4 times, but he did sink all 4 of those attempts. The Lakers certainly need that kind of energy out of Russ on a nightly basis, and he brought it against one of the best teams in the Western Conference. 

So much for that lack of effort that Magic Johnson was talking about.