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The LA Lakers, featuring Russell Westbrook and LeBron James, suffered a 139-130 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Behind rookie Jalen Green’s career night, the Lakers’ superstars watched helplessly as one of the worst teams in the NBA carved them up in the extra period.
The Rockets didn’t play like they have been struggling all season long. They didn’t look like a team that had lost 13 of their last 15 games and were missing two of their starters.
Houston’s young core kept in step with the star-studded LA Lakers for four quarters before annihilating their illustrious rivals in overtime.
In a postgame interview, Westbrook emphasized that teams are playing harder against his side regardless of their records because they are the Lakers.
The Undisputed host Skip Bayless took no time lambasting the nine-time All-Star for his candid assessment:
“Incredible: Westbrook now says main reason Lakers are losing is that they don’t play as hard as their opponents - that that’s the scouting report on them. Teammates will not love that. Westbrick leads the NBA in turnovers, is last in 3-pt shooting, 3rd to last in FT-shooting.”
To his credit, Russell Westbrook played well against the Rockets. He finished with a team-high 30 points to go with eight rebounds, six assists, and only two turnovers.
The former two-time scoring champ shot efficiently, hitting 11-21 shots and 7-8 free throws. He, however, missed a crucial layup in overtime, which could have stopped the Lakers’ bleeding.
Like most of the LA Lakers' losses, tonight's loss didn't fall on one player alone. They have to collectively play harder and show more heart and hustle.
Have Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and the LA Lakers hit rock bottom?
The LA Lakers supposedly hit rock bottom weeks ago in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on their home floor. They were booed in front of their home crowd and played with no heart or pride. Their performance was so bad that even team owner Jeanie Buss had to walk out of her seat at Crypto.com Arena.
However, the loss to the Houston Rockets looks a little uglier than what happened against the Pelicans. The Rockets were without two starters and owned the league’s second-worst record (16-49 before Wednesday's game). They had also won only five of their last 25 games.
There seems to be no rock bottom for the Lakers this season as long as they allow their opponents’ simple game plan to get the better of them.
Guess the Lakers players!
