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The LA Lakers convincingly beat the Cleveland Cavaliers behind a great performance by LA's superstar duo of Russell Westbrook and LeBron James.
Westbrook has been an important asset for the LA Lakers in the absence of Anthony Davis as well. Stepping up his output in the last few games, Westbrook played a big role in the win against Cleveland.
Having faced a lot of media backlash himself, Russell Westbrook spoke about the difficulties the team has faced this season and how it prepared the side for the road ahead. He said:
"Honestly, I live for adversity. Just negativity from people that, you know, outside-in. Just constantly talking. Because there's nothing better than shutting people up. There's nothing better than like, sitting back and watching people just be quiet and not talk when when you're kinda trying to figure it out."
"And, I think, that's something our group realizes that outside people are doubting what we're able to do. Internally we are, like I said, super confident in our abilities to be able to score and defend at a high level and do it well and there's not much teams can do," he added.
On a lighter note, the Lakers' superstar guard also wore a custom cashmere sweater styled by his 4-year old son, Noah. Russell Westbrook had to make sure the cameras caught a glimpse of his son's handiwork on the sweater itself.
While the side have been at the forefront of much criticism this season because of their poor performances, their win against the Cavaliers on Monday night proved to be an important one as the regular-season comes to an end.
Can Russell Westbrook maintain his current form for the LA Lakers?
After suffering considerable media backlash - with a lot of it being directed towards his family - Russell Westbrook still found ways to be a valuable asset on the floor for the LA Lakers in their recent outings.
While Westbrook has seemed out of his depth with the Purple and Gold for a large part of the season, he has been a crucial contributor in the last few games.
Racking up 20 points and 11 assists to aid the LA Lakers' winning effort against the Cavaliers, Westbrook has shown some consistency with regards to his role and requirements in the team.
Although Westbrook is having a subpar season by his standards as he records averages of 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, the last three games have seen a major uptick as he notches 21.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game.
Winning two of those three games - both against teams above .500 - the Lakers have enjoyed the recent form of their blockbuster acquisition from the 2021 offseason.
Westbrook has seemed more confident as well. Finding his shot from beyond the arc, the 33-year old has notched an average of 53% shooting from the field in the last three games.
While there is little that can be said for Westbrook's consistency, the Purple and Gold will need every advantage they can get as they battle to stay in Play-In contention.
With only 10 games left in the regular-season and only one game ahead of the tenth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, the LA Lakers will need to create some distance to ensure a Play-In position.
With six of their next 10 games on the road and five of those being against teams over .500, the Lakers will have an extremely difficult road ahead.
