"LeBron knows that one quote could be repeated for the rest of the season" - Dave McMenamin explains why LeBron James did not directly answer questions about Russell Westbrook's benching

Dave McMenamin of ESPN has said that LeBron James did not say anything about Russell Westbrook's benching during the LA Lakers' 111-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. That's because James did not want to say something that would come back to haunt him later in the season.

The LA Lakers slumped to their 23rd loss of the season on Wednesday night at the Crypto.com Arena. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel benched Westbrook in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. However, James opted not to offer his take on the incident.

In the postgame interview after the Pacers loss, James was asked about Westbrook's benching and how the former MVP felt about it. 'The King' avoided a direct response and instead engaged with a back-and-forth with the reporter, eventually not responding about Westbrook was bothered by the benching.

Here is the exchange between LeBron James and the reporter:

"Have you followed Russ throughout his career?” James asked.

"Probably not as closely as you have probably," the reporter said.

James: "Okay. Have you followed him throughout this season?"

Reporter: "Yeah."

James: "Now would you think that would bother Russ not being in the late game?"

Reporter: "I would imagine it would."

James: "Okay. That's a great answer."

McMenamin of ESPN spoke on 'NBA Today' about the mood inside the Lakers locker room after the loss. He said that Westbrook was already out of the locker room and the arena before his Lakers teammates were out of the shower.

McMenamin added that James avoided talking about Westbrook's benching, as the former doesn't want any distractions or 'smoking gun sound bite' in the postseason. McMenamin hinted that things don't look good in the Lakers' locker room, so James is trying to avoid any additional drama.

"He did not want to add any sort of smoking gun sound bite to the press corps. I think that's telling because clearly things are not very good right now. And LeBron knows that one quote could be repeated for the rest of the season if he says the wrong thing," McMenamin said.

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LeBron James and LA Lakers have a key six-game road trip coming up

Austin Reaves and LeBron James (right) of the Los Angeles Lakers

Following the Pacers game on Wednesday night, the LA Lakers will now embark on a six-game road trip till the end of January. It's a crucial stretch of the season for LeBron James and the Lakers, as it could make or break their playoff hopes.

The road trip will start against the Orlando Magic on Friday, but the Lakers will have to ward off any complacency. They will then visit the Miami Heat before facing the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets in a span of four days. The Lakers will end their road trip in Atlanta against the Atlanta Hawks.

LeBron James has been playing impressively this season, but the Lakers have been too inconsistent at the defensive end. With Westbrook's benching possibly becoming an issue, the Lakers cannot afford to embark on another losing streak. They enter the road trip with a 22-23 season record, and currently sit eighth in the Western Conference standings.