With all of the issues the Lakers are encountering, the resumption of Russell Westbrook’s cold-shooting slump didn’t seem to help in a 125-116 defeat to the Kings.
Westbrook currently enters his 14th NBA season, but his first with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are just one game above .500 as of Wednesday.
While with the Lakers, Westbrook made a number of missteps, including a couple of late-game layups. His scoring average has dropped to its lowest level since his second year in the game.
The Lakers are said to have privately shopped Westbrook in trade discussions, but he is still with the squad. On Wednesday, he was the target of some mockery from a rival.
The team traveled to Sacramento to play the Kings. When Westbrook was presented before the game, the Kings’ in-game operations team played the song “You’re as cold as ice,” according to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha of The Athletic. He stated that the song was played again after Westbrook failed the layup.
When the Kings just introduced Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup intros here in Sacramento, their game ops played the sound “You’re as cold as ice.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 13, 2022
The Kings also used an intriguing visual for Westbrook on the video screen at Golden 1 Center. During his post-match press briefing, the veteran retaliated by mentioning the team’s lengthy playoff skid.
Westbrook, who does not seem to take insults lightly, shrugged it off and made fun of the Sacramento Kings’ 14-year playoff slump, stating that they should have blasted the song every time they failed to make the playoffs.
“That’s funny, I hope they played that the last 14 years, it’s funny they’ll play it now, that’s cute,” Westbrook commented.
After Westbrook missed a layup, the game ops played the same sound. https://t.co/wfY1aEu9nc
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 13, 2022
After the troll prompted public attention, ABC10’s Sean Cunningham stated Thursday, quoting an NBA source, that the Kings would no longer be permitted to perform the stunt.
“As much fun as it was to see a visiting player like Russell Westbrook of the Lakers last night identified as the “Cold as Ice” player of the game, a source with the NBA tells me that the bit used by the Kings will not be allowed to continue,” Sean tweeted.
Poor performance and unsuccessful game
The Wednesday night game in Sacramento, however, did not go so well. Los Angeles struggled to make stops against the Kings that they should have crushed every time, and the offense faltered in the third quarter.
But it was Russell Westbrook’s performance that caused an uproar among Lakers supporters on social media. Westbrook only scored eight points and was not quite as fruitful as they would have liked with him running the ball, throwing out six assists. If there was one shining light in his performance, it was that he only turned the ball over once.
Westbrook shot two-for-14 from the ground, his offensive game deserting him in the paint, at the elbow, where he carries his favorite bank shots, and beyond the three-point line, where he hasn’t made a shot since December 29. He’s 15 for 59 in the Lakers’ last four games.
With 67 seconds remaining and the Lakers behind by four points, Westbrook kept the ball and opted for a three-pointer from the left wing. He shot wide, the Kings scored shortly, and the game was effectively over.