LeBron James praised Russell Westbrook's performance in the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day. Westbrook finished shooting 4-for-20 on field-goal attempts, with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also had five fouls and three turnovers.
James called Westbrook's decision-making, "spectacular" after the game.
"He gave us extra possessions, he gave us a lot of looks around the basket, which I know that he can't stand [failing to convert] as well," James said. "But as far as the effort piece, if a guy plays hard, if a guy leaves it all out on the floor, I got no problem with that. It's a make-or-miss league."
Westbrook left without talking to reporters.
Lakers acting head coach David Fizdale told the press: "A big part of it is he just wants it so bad. I mean, you can just see it in him, everybody does. He wants it so bad. And I know that's just hard for him when it doesn't work out. And I know he cares like crazy. I just want him to take a lot of that pressure off himself, keep attacking, keep playing the way we know he can."
The Lakers are in the midst of a disappointing season, currently owning a record of 16-18.
Check out James' post-game comments below.
[Via]
