Even though LeBron James made his return from a one-game absence on Wednesday night, it was Russell Westbrook that played the best overall game for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Brodie made history early in the contest despite the Lakers giving up a 13-0 run to start overtime at the Toyota Center in a crushing 139-130 loss to the Houston Rockets.
With this layup, Westbrook became one of 33 players to surpass the 23,000 mark in NBA history. He is only the second point guard to accomplish the feat after NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. He is now chasing Lakers icon Elgin Baylor who scored 23,149 points.
Russell Westbrook is now one of 33 players in NBA History to exceed 23,000 career points. pic.twitter.com/GOUrnhsuXu
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) March 10, 2022
Russell Westbrook finished with 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out six assists. He also tied the game with a 15 footer that eventually sent the game into overtime. Westbrook was efficient, shooting 11-21 from the field, knocking down seven of his eight free throws attempts.
Russ ties it up in Houston 👀 pic.twitter.com/zzykyqOlEI
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 10, 2022
The Lakers (28-37) desperately need this type of effort consistently from Westbrook for the last 17 games of the season. With this loss to Houston, they have lost six of their last seven games and 13 of their previous 17. The Lake Show go into their matchup Friday night against the Washington Wizards (29-35) as the 9th seed in the Western Conference standings, only a game and a half ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, who sit in 10th place.
