Westbrook: Bench rotation contributed to strain

SAN FRANCISCO -- Russell Westbrook said helium "absolutely" believes that Los Angeles Lakers manager Darvin Ham's determination to bring him disconnected the seat successful L.A.'s preseason finale could person caused the hamstring strain helium suffered that night.

"I've been doing the aforesaid happening for 14 years straight," Westbrook said pursuing the Lakers' 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors successful their regular-season opener Tuesday night. "Honestly, I didn't adjacent cognize what to bash pregame. Being honest, I was trying to fig retired however to enactment lukewarm and loose. ... That's thing I conscionable wasn't accustomed to."

Westbrook was backmost successful the starting lineup against the Warriors -- playing with the archetypal portion for the 1,005th clip successful 1,022 vocation games -- aft being constricted successful the days starring up to it due to the fact that of his hamstring.

He played conscionable 5 minutes successful the accumulation nonaccomplishment to the Sacramento Kings connected Friday. He alluded to being capable to play more, but choosing not to because, "I wasn't going to hazard it successful a preseason game."

He played 31 minutes against Golden State and finished with 19 points connected 7-for-12 shooting, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 bargain and 4 turnovers. His plus-minus standing of minus-six was amended than some LeBron James (-10) and Anthony Davis (-21).

Ham said helium wanted Westbrook's attack to contention to jolt his squad from the opening tip.

"You privation to commencement the crippled disconnected the close mode successful presumption of your vigor and being successful onslaught mode, and nary 1 amended than him," said Ham, who spoke to reporters earlier Westbrook did pursuing the game. "I mean, it's what we person and we got immoderate cardinal guys hurt. It's Game 1, springiness them a accidental to spell retired and vie astatine the highest level. I thought helium was solid, I thought helium was solid. A mates possessions I privation I tin get back, but wide I thought helium was solid."

Before the game, Ham said helium wanted to "establish" a accordant starting unit.

"We don't privation to beryllium 1 of those teams," helium said, "where teams are swaying according to who their hostile is starting."

However, asked whether that meant helium would instrumentality with his opening-night starters for a agelong of clip moving forward, Ham would not commit.

"We'll see," helium said. "I'm a day-by-day guy."

Davis said aft the crippled that Westbrook's seat relation against the Kings was simply experimentation.

"I don't deliberation helium was ever retired of [the starting group]," Davis said. "I deliberation it was a look [at a antithetic rotation] successful Sac."

It was lone the 22nd crippled that Davis, Westbrook and James played unneurotic since L.A. traded for Westbrook successful the summertime of 2021. The nonaccomplishment connected Tuesday dropped their grounds unneurotic to 11-11. Yet Davis and James were encouraged.

"I deliberation we played well," Davis said. "We wanted to travel retired and everybody beryllium aggressive. We didn't privation to -- I deliberation past twelvemonth astatine times we were playing selfless, like, 'Here [you instrumentality it].' ... It took distant our aggression. At definite moments passim the game, 1 of america 3 were assertive and it worked retired for it to look good."

Added James: "I thought we each conscionable benignant of played free. And it resulted successful each 3 of america beauteous overmuch being businesslike from the floor."

TNT expert Charles Barkley didn't spot it the aforesaid way.

"You cognize however I consciousness astir Russell Westbrook," Barkley said astatine halftime of the broadcast. "I respect him, I respect him. It's clip for the Lakers to determination him. They person taken each his joyousness retired of beingness and basketball. ... This feline utilized to beryllium truthful exuberant and play with large vigor and large emotion, I deliberation the deterioration and teardrop mentally past year, starting this year. ... And the happening is, he's going to get the blasted nary substance what, due to the fact that the Lakers ain't a title contender. ... I deliberation helium needs a caller start, I deliberation the Lakers request a caller start, due to the fact that they're not contenders."

Westbrook was asked astir Barkley's comments and whether helium has mislaid joyousness for the crippled since joining L.A.

"You cognize man, I'm ace blessed and leaning a batch connected my faith," Westbrook said. "So, I person a batch of large friends and family, bully radical successful my country that enactment maine done heavy and thin, and erstwhile I person God successful my corner, it doesn't truly substance what happens extracurricular of that. I enactment connected course, enactment focused, enactment locked in. That's each I tin ask.

"Everything other that comes astir it, I'll proceed doing what I'm doing, enactment locked successful connected my trade and everything other volition instrumentality attraction of itself."