Lakers PG Russell Westbrook Attributes Hamstring Strain to Coming Off Bench
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook attributes the hamstring strain he suffered in his team’s final preseason game to coming off the bench.
After the Lakers’ 123-109 season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors, Westbrook said, “I’ve been doing the same thing for 14 years straight. Honestly, I didn’t even know what to do pregame. Being honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and loose…That’s something I just wasn’t accustomed to.”
Westbrook was in the lineup on Tuesday and tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists across 31 minutes.
“You want to start the game off the right way in terms of your energy and being in attack mode, and no one is better than him,” said Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. “I thought he was solid. A couple possessions I wish I can get back, but overall, I thought he was solid.”
With LA in desperate need of outside shooting, how long Westbrook remains in the starting five, or on the team for that matter, will be worth following.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Lakers as +4.5 home underdogs on the spread and +168 on the moneyline for Thursday’s contest against the Los Angeles Clippers.
