Lakers extol Russ' impact off bench despite loss

MINNEAPOLIS -- Russell Westbrook came disconnected the seat successful a regular-season crippled for the archetypal clip since his rookie twelvemonth successful the Los Angeles Lakers' 111-102 nonaccomplishment to the Minnesota Timberwolves and impressed his squad by taking to the role.

"He was great," said LeBron James, who said Westbrook's vigor "catapulted" L.A.'s wide effort. "He was large each game."

Westbrook played 33 minutes, much than helium had successful immoderate of the 3 games helium started this season, and finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. However, helium changeable 6-for-17 wide and 5-for-10 from the escaped propulsion enactment and was liable for 5 of the Lakers' 22 squad turnovers.

While it wasn't a cleanable nighttime by immoderate means, it was an encouraging look astatine a acceptable that caller manager Darvin Ham discussed with Westbrook respective times implicit the summertime earlier going to it successful the 2nd week of the season.

"From Day 1, I mentioned I'm the feline that's consenting to bash immoderate for the team," Westbrook said. "I'll sacrifice immoderate it is that needs to beryllium sacrificed -- parts of my crippled that I've done for years to accommodate immoderate it is that the manager needs maine to do, and I'll proceed to bash that."

That sacrifice included being the superior defender connected Minnesota's 7-1 halfway Rudy Gobert successful the closing lineup, with Ham electing to play tiny down the agelong with large men Anthony Davis (lower backmost tightness) and Thomas Bryant (thumb surgery) unavailable.

"Russ, my hat's disconnected to him erstwhile again," Ham said. "Came disconnected and showed the benignant of interaction helium tin person successful that reserve relation and shoring up our seat -- not conscionable coming successful and trying to support thing but coming successful and taking it up a notch. So helium was large successful that relation tonight. And I look guardant to seeing him successful it much erstwhile we commencement getting steadfast bodies back."

Westbrook said determination were immoderate adjustments helium had to marque to his regular to enactment ready. He usually sprints from 1 broadside of the tribunal to the different conscionable earlier tipoff, for instance, to get his bosom complaint up. On Friday, helium rode an workout motorcycle successful the passageway earlier coming successful the crippled midway done the archetypal quarter.

But his effect Friday was antithetic from the 1 helium gave aft the preseason finale, erstwhile helium came disconnected the seat and lasted lone 5 minutes earlier exiting with hamstring soreness, aboriginal questioning if Ham's determination to bring him successful arsenic a reserve could person caused the injury.

This clip around, determination was acceptance from Westbrook.

"I'm really not huffy with however we played tonight," helium said. "Our vigor was successful the close direction, which I'm blessed about. And I deliberation it's important evidently to get AD backmost and get guys healthy, getting america -- get things going. But until then, nobody's going to consciousness atrocious for us. We got to find a mode to vie and get a win."

Indeed, the Target Center assemblage serenaded the Lakers with an "Oh and five! Oh and five!" chant successful the game's last minute.

And Davis missed a crippled conscionable 5 games into the season, aft declaring during grooming campy his extremity to play successful each 82 games connected the schedule.

But determination was inactive patience and optimism being expressed by immoderate of the Lakers' cardinal stakeholders.

"He has to bash what's champion for his body," James said of Davis. "He has to bash what's champion for his assemblage and his mind. If his caput is gone, past everything other volition autumn to the wayside. So helium has to spot himself. Yes, helium wants to play each game. Yes, helium wants to beryllium retired determination for our team. But he's had a batch of bumps and bruises implicit the past fewer years, truthful helium has to spot himself, spot his unit and not enactment his assemblage successful harm's way."

And Westbrook said the early-season injuries aren't causing him to fret that it could each spell sideways similar past twelvemonth erstwhile he, James and Davis were constricted to conscionable 21 games together.

"To beryllium honest, no," Westbrook said. "Like I said, I consciousness bully astir today. AD is taking attraction of his body, which is the astir important. Make definite his caput is successful the close place, due to the fact that I deliberation that's the astir important portion of immoderate injury. When helium comes back, we'll beryllium acceptable to go, and hopefully that's sooner alternatively than later."