Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook has taken relentless criticism this season — some justified, and some unjustified — so you can’t help but feel happy for him when he does something spectacular on the court. With the Lakers facing defeat in the final seconds of the fourth quarter of Friday night’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors, Westbrook came up with an incredible sequence to send the game to overtime, where Los Angeles eventually came away with a 128-123 win.
With 12.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Toronto leading 116-113, Westbrook missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer badly, putting the Raptors in the position where all they needed to do was hold onto the ball and make their free throws to secure the victory. Instead, the Lakers defense forced a difficult inbounds pass from Scottie Barnes to Precious Achiuwa, and as he awkwardly attempted to get it back to Barnes, Westbrook got his hand on the ball and eventually forced a turnover.
He proceeded to race down the court, stop just behind the 3-point line, and knock down a double-pump, contested 3-pointer with less than a second left to send the game to overtime. It was a wild sequence that concluded a frenzied fourth quarter.
“I’m super happy for him,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said of Westbrook after the game. “He’s obviously dealt with a lot.”
The moment was all the more exciting because it came directly in front of superstar rapper Drake, a Toronto native in attendance for Friday night’s game. Lakers forward LeBron James, who is good friends with Drake, posted the incredible photo to Instagram after the game with the caption, “MOOD!!!! Hi Haters.”
Westbrook finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while going 8-for-18 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range. It was the first triple-double Westbrook has registered since New Year’s Eve, while the four 3-pointers tied a season high. The last time he made more than 50 percent of his 3-point attempts in a game was Jan. 27, when he went 2-for-3 in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
It was a much-needed win for the Lakers, who had lost three straight games and 12 of their last 15. LeBron James was also brilliant down the stretch, finishing with 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on 15-for-26 shooting.
Westbrook has been vocal about his distaste for the way that the fans and media have criticized him throughout the season. But, as he well knows, the best way to shut everyone up is to play well and perform in the clutch like he did on Friday night.