The Los Angeles Lakers can exhale. Finally.
After becoming the laughingstock of the NBA and having their every move dissected by the media and fanbase alike, the Lakers finally recorded the first victory of their turbulent season.
Recording a “w” for the first time after five excruciating losses to begin the 2022-23 season, LeBron James led the beleaguered franchise with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. The often-injured Anthony “AD” Davis, who’s been hampered with chronic back pain, chipped in 23 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets Sunday, Oct. 30 121-110.
However, the star of the game was the much-maligned Russell Westbrook, who came off the bench to post 18 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in 32 meaningful minutes. Moreover, the Lakers were much more productive with Westbrook on the floor than they were when he was off of it, as the stats prove.
Lakers since Russ came off the bench:
+18 with Russ on the floor
-16 with Russ off the floor pic.twitter.com/hSKFmVjDxX— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 31, 2022
AD, who had to sit down for the post-game interview, flashed a smile of relief as he articulated the monumental importance of getting that first win.
"We needed this [win] for our team, our spirits, our fans, our organization." – @AntDavis23 (23 points, 15 rebounds) speaks with @LakersReporter about #Lakers getting their first 'W' and dealing with his back injury. pic.twitter.com/kgw13EkANO
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 31, 2022
James Worthy, a Hall of Famer who helped Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar win three championships in the 1980s, gave the ceremonial clap for his Lakers following an exhaustive, arduous two weeks.
#Lakers win their first game and earn their first #WorthyClap 👏 of the year.
The purple and gold defeat the Nuggets 121-110. pic.twitter.com/w30w2JTpdg— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 31, 2022
King James, 37, and head coach Darvin Ham heaped effusive praise on Westbrook.
“Tonight, he was more and more comfortable in the role,” James said of Westbrook, according to Spectrum SportsNet.
“Russ, my hat’s off to him once again,” Ham added, according to Sports Illustrated. “[He] came off and showed the type of impact he can have in that reserve role and shoring up our bench — not just coming in and trying to maintain anything, but coming in and taking it up a notch. So he was great in that role tonight. And I look forward to seeing him in it more once we start getting healthy bodies back.”
