Russell Westbrook says, “I’m just running around,” following his lacklustre game tonight against the Lakers and draws out what he needs to do.
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Game 2 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets took place Sunday night, with a lot riding on the game, after Rockets upset Lakers in Game 1.
The Lakers took a substantial lead on the Rockets early on in the game, with the Lakers marching ahead with as much as 21 point lead.The Rockets clawed back however, outscoring the Lakers in the 4rd quarter and taking the lead.
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This effort remained futile as the Rockets ended up losing the bout, 117-109.
Russell Westbrook has another below average game for the Rockets
Russell Westbrook might be one of the most inconsistent players of our generation. His performances have been a rollercoaster ride throughout these playoffs.
Westbrook scored 24 points in Game 1 and helped the Rockets take a Game 1 victory. However, the 2017 MVP had only 10 points on 4-15 shooting tonight, while also recording 8 turnovers. He also posted up a -14 plus/minus.
The Lakers made it a point to make Westbrook shoot some 3s, as the Rockets star was rarely allowed to drive to the rim.
Every #Rockets starter had a positive plus/minus differential, except for Russell Westbrook (-14 in 33 minutes). Missed 11 of 15 shots, and had a game-high 7 turnovers. Brutal.
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) September 7, 2020
When asked about his abysmal performance, Russell Westbrook said, “I’m just running around. I need to watch film.”
“Right now I’m just running around. I gotta look at film and figure out how to be effective.”
– Russ on his struggles in Game 2 pic.twitter.com/G4KrcAexA3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 7, 2020
Rockets Head Coach Mike D’Antoni was also asked about Russell Westbrook’s performance and how important he is to the team. To this he responded, “He’ll be fine. Not worried about him.”
Mike D’Antoni indicates that reducing Westbrook’s minutes isn’t an option.
“We’re not going to win anything without Russell. He’s going to break through it. He’s more upset than anybody. He’s a great, great player. He’ll be fine. Not worried about him.”
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) September 7, 2020
Should the Houston Rockets be concerned about Russell Westbrook’s inconsistencies?
Westbrook has always been a high volume shooter, usually chucking up shots when he go-to shots are not falling. It shouldn’t be argued whether or not Westbrook is a great player, as when Westbrook gets going, it is very difficult to stop him.
The future Hall-of-Famer was also very confident in his ability to bounce back, as he said, “It’s only one game,” when questioned by a reporter.
Reporter “Mike knows you’ll snap out of this offensively”
Westbrook “Snap out of what?”
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 7, 2020
The Lakers seem to have figured out the small-ball strategy of Rockets. The defense on Harden tonight was brilliant, as they double teamed him almost all night, forcing the support cast to come up with most of the offensive goods. A similar strategy could be expected in Game 3, as shutting down Harden throws a lot of the onus on the perimeter, who could have an off day.
