Lakers guard Russell Westbrook was benched for the final stretch of a game for the second time this season as he was pulled ahead of overtime against the Knicks on Saturday night. Despite Westbrook's absence in the final frame, Los Angeles was able to earn a much-needed victory over New York after trailing by as many as 21 points in the first half.
Westbrook's offensive struggles continued against the Knicks, as he scored just five points while shooting 1 of 10 from the field and 3 of 7 from the free throw line in 29 minutes of action.
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On two separate occasions, Lakers fans at Crypto.com Arena had audibly negative reactions to Westbrook's shooting, booing the former MVP after a missed bank shot attempt in the first half and clearly discouraging him from attempting a corner 3-pointer on a play that led to an Anthony Davis putback.
Westbrook did appear to be impacted by the jeers as he hesitated on a number of his shot attempts against New York.
MORE: LeBron James' return fixes some issues, but LA's struggles expose more problems
Unlike the last time Westbrook was benched, the Lakers were able to come out with the win, which, according to Westbrook, is the only thing that matters.
"The best part of this game is that you win," Westbrook told reporters postgame. "Guys competed. We won the game and that's all that matters."
Similar to the last time Westbrook was benched, Lakers coach Frank Vogel cited the point guard's struggles and winning as the reasons for his overtime lineup decisions.
"I think obviously Russ was having a tough night on both sides of the ball and [LeBron James] was really going," Vogel said.
"You just make tough decisions in the spirit of whatever the team needs to win a game."
MORE: Why was Westbrook benched against the Pacers?
Westbrook himself admitted the differences between the last time he was benched, adding, "I was more upset I didn't win the game but not about when or how he would do it … it's not about me. I don't want to make it about me. It's more about our team and our guys. Tonight we got a good win and now move onto the next one."
After playing coy the first time around, James weighed in Westbrook's benching, sharing that "I told him to keep going, to stop second-guessing himself during the game.
"He's an instinctive player and he should never – what he's done in the league – he should never second guess himself if he's put the work in."
Westbrook's struggles on Saturday continue a concerning trend of poor play when he shares the floor with James. Despite that fact, the Lakers have a 10-7 record when James, Westbrook and Davis are all in the lineup.
LA remains firmly in the West's Play-In picture but will need to string together a series of wins to move into a top-six seed.
Lakers schedule 2021-22
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Feb. 8 | vs. Bucks | 10:00 p.m. | TNT |
| Feb. 9 | at Trail Blazers | 10:00 p.m. | – |
| Feb. 12 | at Warriors | 8:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Feb. 16 | vs. Jazz | 10:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Feb. 25 | vs. Clippers | 10:00 p.m. | ESPN |
