LeBron James Defends Russell Westbrook’s Christmas Day Performance

The Los Angeles Lakers christened the newly named Crypto.com Arena with a Christmas Day loss. LeBron and company have had a mighty struggle to get things on track this season. A lack of team chemistry coupled with the COVID pandemic and injuries have made for tough sledding in L.A.

The losing ways continued for the Lakers as they dropped another to the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 122-115. Plenty of things went wrong for King James’ team. There was more than enough for the critics to sink their teeth into.

One of those factors was the play of Russell Westbrook. He shot a paltry 4 out of 20 from the floor. Despite the bad shooting day, he registered a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. LeBron defended his teammate’s performance after the loss as he spoke to reporters in his post-game press conference.

“His decision-making was spectacular tonight. He had 11 AST, 12 REB, 5 of them offensive… The guy plays hard & leaves it out on the floor. I got no problem with that. It’s a make-or-miss league.”

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James himself contributed 39 points in the loss. The Nets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. A better shooting night from Westbrook may have resulted in a much-needed win.

The team instead continues to search for answers. The Lakers have not been able to find their identity all season. LeBron James doesn’t think it has anything to do with Russell Westbrook at this point.

What is wrong with LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers? Share your feelings in the comments!