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Russell Westbrook and the LA Lakers are back to winning ways. This comes as a welcome change, two nights after they gave up a 26-point lead to lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. The Lakers pulled off a 113-101 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers from within the comfort of Staples Center. Westbrook had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists in the win that propped the Lakers up to a 3-3 record for the season.
Speaking about playing in front of home fans, Westbrook gushed over the opportunity:
“It’s great… I don’t take anything for granted. I give thanks to all the men just for allowing me to be in this situation, this arena. There are so many great people… These fans, this city, we gotta take care of home court. Ain’t nothing like playing at Staples Center.”
Westbrook contributes to team effort by Lakers in the win against Cleveland
It required a team effort by the Lakers to pull off the win against the Cavaliers. They conceded 15 turnovers in the first half and trailed 76-85 late with under three minutes to play. In the third quarter, the Lakers closed out the Cavaliers with a 37-16 run.
LeBron James, who sat out the last two games for the Lakers, returned to the team to lead all scorers with 26 points, eight assists and three steals. Anthony Davis had 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony contributed 24 points, with six-of-eight shooting from downtown, off the bench. In all, the four Lakers stars, including Westbrook, combined for 84 points out of the team’s score of 113.
Commenting on what the Lakers’ stars are learning of playing with each other in each passing game, Westbrook responded by saying:
“Just figuring out our space, figuring out what sets work for us, figuring out how to play on the court with each other. We are going to get it together. That’s all that matters is we win games.”
Westbrook and the Lakers will continue to enjoy the benefits of playing at Staples Center in their next three games. Two against Houston, and a revenge matchup against Oklahoma City on November 4 – are all at home. They then travel to Portland for a one-off road game on November 6, but then return back to Staples Center for a five-game home stand until November 15.
