Lakers: Russell Westbrook Was Focused On Bringing "the team together" in CHA Comeback

Without LeBron and AD out with injuries, Westbrook kept the Lakers engaged despite trailing the Hornets from the jump.

Westbrook arguably had the best performance of his short Lakers career on Friday night and it wasn’t just his box score. The Lakers trailed the Charlotte Hornets for the entire game. Seriously, the entire game. Westbrook and the Lakers never led in the game.

They did however continue to battle and Westbrook, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis sidelined, was the de facto floor general. Even when the Lakers trailed by 20 in the third, Westbrook could be seen bringing the Lakers together to keep everyone focused.

Russ explained the importance of those huddles in his post game presser.

“It’s part of playing the game, going through a tough stretch with injuries and different things of that nature. You don’t want to separate. You want to try to find ways to really bring the team together. That’s all I was trying to do during the timeouts.”

Westbrook had a quiet first half: five points, two assists, and three rebounds. He announced himself in the final two quarters. Russ scored an efficient 30 points in the second half (11-for-20 from the floor) and miraculously gave the Lakers an opportunity to steal a road win. 

The last Laker to score 30 points in the second half of a game? Kobe Bryant. In the final game of his career.

Westbrook hit back-to-back three-pointers to bring the Lakers within two points with less than two minutes remaining. Westbrook had the ball in his hands for a potential game-winning three. His shot was short, but the miss isn’t going to keep Russ up at night.

“Down 20, we found ways to stick with it. We gave ourselves a chance to win and that’s all you can ask for on the road.”

Westbrook and the Lakers will wrap up their annual Grammy road trip on Sunday in Atlanta. A win over the Hawks would bring the Lakers record to 3-3 for the six-game east coast swing.