Up until the final possession of the clash against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Lakers were playing some incredible basketball. LeBron James played 35:17 minutes and went on to record 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. Off the bench, Russell Westbrook had a great 20-point, 14-rebound, and 11-assist triple-double.
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Despite having a great outing, the Lakers fell short to Joel Embiid and co. by one point. A contest that witnessed a total of 18 lead changes & 18 ties ended with the LA-based franchise suffering a 113-112 blow.
Also Read: Lakers Stars Claims Of Being Held Backed Up By NBA Twitter
The Purple & Gold did have a chance to win the contest, however, blew their chance as Westbrook turned the ball over in the final seconds of the game.
“People are gonna remember Russell Westbrook for the last play of the game”: Shannon Sharpe
With about 15 seconds remaining on the clock, the Lakers decided not to use their timeouts despite trailing by 1 point.
Instead of handing the ball to the in-form LBJ, Russ decided to take JoJo on an iso and ended up turning the ball over. The result? The Lakers lost an extremely well-fought battle.
Despite the controversial no-call in the dying seconds, Shannon Sharpe was just one of many LAL supporters who wished that Westbrook would’ve let James take the final shot.
On the recent episode of “UNDISPUTED”, the former NFL star said:
“I was okay with him not calling a timeout. I think D Ham did not want them to set their defense. He felt that he had them in a situation they were back on their heels. I do wish Russ would’ve given the ball up. But Russ played well, he played great last night. He played really well. But unfortunately, the only thing people are gonna remember was the last play of the game.”
.@ShannonSharpe on the Lakers trusting Westbrook on final possession vs the Sixers:
“I wish Russ would’ve given the ball up or LeBron went and got it. Russ played well, but people will only remember the last play of the game.” pic.twitter.com/nHNJqtgM7g
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 16, 2023
Where do the Lakers stand in the West?
The Los Angeles Lakers are having a turbulent season, to say the least.
After Anthony Davis went down with injuries, the team tumbled several positions down the standings.
Having won merely 19 games so far this campaign, the California-based franchise sits #13 in the West, 1.5 games behind the #10 Jazz, and 6.5 games ahead of the #14 Spurs.
Also Read: Skip Bayless Finds a Way to Blame ‘The King’ as Russell Westbrook Cost Lakers 113-112 Loss
