The Los Angeles Lakers got back on track Sunday night, cruising to a dominant 125–101 victory behind their star duo of Luka Dončić and LeBron James.
Dončić finished with 34 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, while James added 24 points, five assists, and three rebounds as the Lakers improved to 20–10 on the season.
The Kings were led by DeMar DeRozan, Maxime Raynaud, and veteran guard Russell Westbrook, who returned to Los Angeles for a matchup against his former team. Westbrook spent about a season and a half with the Lakers in a stint filled with drama that ultimately didn’t end well for either side.
The 37-year-old guard reached a major milestone the night before the game, surpassing Lakers legend Magic Johnson for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assists list — a feat that drew a reaction from LeBron James afterward.
In response to a post from @cuffsthelegend that read, “Russ is one of the all-time greats! Flowers given,” James echoed the sentiment, responding with emojis to show his respect for his former teammate.
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Westbrook was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Lakers in the summer ahead of the 2021–22 season and appeared in 78 games during his first year in Los Angeles.
He struggled to find a consistent role alongside LeBron James, as both are ball-dominant players who are not elite outside shooters and prefer to impact the game in similar ways.
During his time with the Lakers, Westbrook averaged 17.4 points, 7.2 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game across 32.1 minutes, shooting 43.4% from the field and 29.7% from three-point range.
The following season, Westbrook played in 52 games before being traded and eventually waived, later signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. Ultimately, he was never able to figure out how to effectively coexist alongside James in a way that translated to consistent success on the court.
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