RUSSELL WESTBROOK NEWS

Lakers coach Frank Vogel doesn't deserve to be fired

Even though the Lakers are one of the NBA's most disappointing teams, Frank Vogel should not be fired, Melissa Rohlin argues.

JANUARY 20, 2022

Why did the Lakers bench Russell Westbrook? Frank Vogel cites winning as main reason Russell Westbrook's night ended as the Lakers trailed by seven points with just under four minutes left to play in a loss to the Pacers.

JANUARY 20, 2022 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

If Russell Westbrook Can't Handle Being Benched, the Lakers Are Screwed The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Indiana Pacers last night, blowing an early lead en route to a 111-104 loss. The end result is certainly...

JANUARY 20, 2022 • THEBIGLEAD.COM

The benching of Russell Westbrook adds further intrigue to the Lakers' ongoing Frank Vogel saga In a season full of lows, the Lakers' loss to the Pacers was a new nadir. What comes next is sure to be even more strenuous.

JANUARY 20, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Struggles, then gets benched Westbrook ended Wednesday's 111-104 loss to Indiana with 14 points (5-17 FG, 4-6 3Pt), two rebounds, three assists and one steal across 27 minutes.

Impact In one of the more unlikely stat lines of his season, Westbrook went 4-for-6 from three-point range but only 1-for-11 from inside the arc. He was a minus-18 while on the court and was unusually quiet in terms of peripheral stats, notching just three assists and two boards. Perhaps the most telling indication of his struggles is that head coach Frank Vogel chose to bench Westbrook for the final four minutes of a close contest, stating that he wanted to go with "the guys I thought were going to win the game," per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Westbrook is shooting an ugly 30.2 percent over his past seven games, making him more of a liability than an asset for Los Angeles over that stretch.

JANUARY 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Lakers' Frank Vogel shrugs off worries about job insecurity

Lakers coach Frank Vogel is shrugging off widespread reports of his job insecurity

JANUARY 20, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Can LeBron spur Lakers to keep playing like they did vs. Jazz?

On Monday against the Jazz, the Lakers played with effort and as a team. Melissa Rohlin examines if that's real or a mirage.

JANUARY 18, 2022

Indiana faces Los Angeles, seeks to halt 4-game skid

Indiana looks to stop its four-game losing streak with a win over Los Angeles

JANUARY 18, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Russell Westbrook, Stanley Johnson spark Lakers' defeat of Jazz Before the Lakers’ Russell Westbrook made a mess of Rudy Gobert, he cleaned up.

JANUARY 18, 2022 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Scores 15 in win Monday Westbrook logged 15 points (5-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds and three assists across 28 minutes during Monday's 101-95 victory over the Jazz.

Impact Westbrook once again struggled from the field, but he still came through with a decent 15/8/3 stat line. The veteran point guard's most memorable play was a poster dunk over three-time DPOY Rudy Gobert in the second quarter that subsequently resulted in a taunting technical foul assigned to Westbrook. Notably, Westbrook was off the court for much of the fourth period while Los Angeles staged a game-changing comeback, but he did return late in the frame and produced five points in the final minute to help seal the win.

JANUARY 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Virus, injuries, standings all factor in NBA trade deadline

The basic mantra for all NBA teams this season should be just get into the playoffs

JANUARY 18, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

LeBron scores 25 as Lakers end three-game skid, beat Jazz

LeBron James scored 25 points and Stanley Johnson had 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-95 win over the Utah Jazz

JANUARY 18, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gobert has double-double, Jazz beat Nuggets 125-102

Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 19 rebounds in his return to Utah’s lineup, Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and the Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 125-102

JANUARY 17, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lakers: Russell Westbrook Gets Into Heated Exchange With Aaron Gordon Following a Foul Call Russ was HEATED.

JANUARY 16, 2022 • SI.COM

Lakers: NBA Experts Compare Russell Westbrook's Career Arc to Another Hall-of-Famer NBA insiders draw the comparison between Russell Westbrook and Allen Iverson.

JANUARY 16, 2022 • SI.COM

Modest production in blowout loss Westbrook produced 19 points (7-15 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes during Saturday's 133-96 loss to the Nuggets.

Impact Westbrook was relatively efficient Saturday, knocking down seven of 15 field-goal attempts after shooting just 29.3 percent over his previous five contests. The improved shooting came with a dramatic drop in peripheral stats, however, as the point guard finished well below his season marks with five rebounds and three assists. Westbrook also tallied no turnovers for the second time in his past three games, so there were both positives and negatives to take from the performance.

JANUARY 16, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Jokic has 8th triple-double, Nuggets rout Lakers, 133-96

Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his eighth triple-double of the season, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 133-96

JANUARY 16, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lakers: NBA Steps in After the Kings Arena Staff Messes With Russell Westbrook No more trolling from the Kings' staff.

JANUARY 14, 2022 • SI.COM

Introspective Russell Westbrook on struggles with Lakers: Basketball not 'end-all-be-all' The Lakers' guard spoke with The Athletic's Sam Amick about his recent thoughts with Los Angeles.

JANUARY 14, 2022 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

LeBron James explains how Russell Westbrook can improve after rough patch Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James discussed the play of his star teammate, Russell Westbrook.

JANUARY 14, 2022 • USATODAY.COM

Walking with Westbrook: Why the Lakers star isn't letting his struggles steal his joy A chance encounter with Russell Westbrook leads to a candid interview about how the struggling star is dealing with his disappointing start.

JANUARY 14, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Russell Westbrook's shooting slump continues to prove costly: 'You're as cold as ice' Westbrook's four-game shooting slump, in which he's shot just 15 of 59 (25.4 percent), continued in the Lakers' loss to Sacramento.

JANUARY 13, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM