Russell Westbrook knew he had an off night in the Lakers’ loss to the Kings Wednesday night — and so did the in-arena DJ.
When asked about his “shooting slump” after the game, Westbrook looked a the stat sheet and replied, “Man, who are you telling? I can’t make a f–king shot boy.”
The reporter then mentioned that the Kings’ in-arena DJ played the song “Cold As Ice” every time Westbrook missed a shot.
“That’s funny. I hope they played that the last 14 years, too. It’s funny they play it now. That’s cute,” he said, laughing.
At one point during the game, the Jumbotron at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento featured a photo of Westbrook that read, “Ice cold player of the game”
Westbrook finished with eight points in 37 minutes on 2-for-14 shooting (14.3 %). He was 0-5 from three in the Lakers’ 125-116 loss to the Kings.
“The word ‘slump’ isn’t something I lean on,” Westbrook said. “I stay locked into my craft, figure it out. I’m just in a position to try to figure out the best way to play at the moment. It’s as simple as that. I’ll figure it out, and that’s that. … Figure out ways to just make a f–king shot. That’s it.”
After the game, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said his point guard was “just in a slump right now.”
That’s a fair assessment as his shooting percentages have plummeted in recent games, shooting 8-for-40 in Los Angeles’ past three games. Westbrook has not made a 3-pointer since Dec. 29, spanning six games and 15 attempts.
Westbrook’s shooting struggles have raised questions about his fit in Los Angeles.
Following his “ice cold” game, Westbrook said he and the lakers will get “back to the drawing board to look how we can be effective at least from the scoring side of it” and “make adjustments” as needed.
“I got no excuses. I don’t point fingers. I always look at myself & figure out ways to become better but one thing I never do is panic. I never lack confidence in myself & what I’m capable of doing,” he said.
Los Angeles has been relying on LeBron James to carry the load amid the team’s lulls. He’s been compensating for the absence of Anthony Davis, who suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee in a loss to the Timberwolves in December.
James, who tallied 34 points against the Kings, said he plans to “keep working with [Westbrook]” to turn things around.
“Obviously he’s been putting in work, and you’re going trust the work you put into it so, he’s getting some really good looks, it’s just not going down for him.”
The Lakers (21-21) play the Nuggets (20-19) in Denver on Saturday.