Russell Westbrook had arguably his best game as a Laker on Friday. He had 30 points in the second half, which is the most for any player in the franchise since Kobe retired. His valiant effort went in vain as the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Charlotte Hornets.
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The Lakers took on the Hornets as they were without both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Hornets were coming off a record-breaking win against the Indiana Pacers. Meanwhile, the Lakers looked to bounce back after the defeat against the 76ers.
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 17, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) was given a technical foul for his reaction after a dunk over Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) in the first half of the game at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The game started off with the Hornets dominating the early proceeding. They had a 16 point lead at the half as they looked to cruise to victory. However, Russ seemed to have other plans. He had only 5 points at the half and his plus-minus a dismal -27. But the second half was an entirely different story.
Russ had 30 points in the second half as he powered the Laker’s comeback. He was attacking the rim at every opportunity and he had jump shots falling as well. Russ helped the Lakers cut the deficit to just 1 as the Lakers came back from being 20 down. Despite his best efforts, the Lakers weren’t able to come out with the win as they fell to their 26th defeat of the season.
Lakers Fans go crazy as Russell Westbrook ties Kobe Bryant’s record
The Lakers fans went berserk seeing Westbrooks’ performance. Russ was in a poor run of form, and he was getting a lot of slack for it. However, this game showed what he’s capable of as the fans went to Twitter to express their admiration for him. Here are some of the best reactions.
Lebron makes him worse
Lebron makes him worse
Russell Westbrook…WOW. 🔥 (via @BulletClubIta)
When Russell Westbrook sees DeAndre Jordan in the Locker room:
Lakers lost but THIS is the Russell Westbrook we need going forward!!
The face you make when Russell Westbrook makes back to back 3’s. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Russell Westbrook vs the Hornets without AD and Lebron: 35 pts (30 second half points) 12-23 FG (52%) MY PG IS BACK 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Russell Westbrook checking his mentions after putting up a career worst -27 plus/minus in the first half
Frank Vogel says he "really wants to credit" Russell Westbrook for his leadership tonight. "He was very determined tonight."
The 2nd half right now is the 2016-17 version of Russell Westbrook. But here’s the issue Russ + role players = ⭐️ Russ + All-Stars = 😡
What’s next for Russ and the Lakers
The Lakers will hope to see more of the same from Russ as they look to end this two-game losing streak. Russ has not been having a great year, as he has struggled to remain consistent. However, this performance will surely boost his confidence going to future games. The Lakers will look to get back Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the next game as we approach the All-Star break.
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