The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a slow start to the 2022-23 NBA season, falling to the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday night for their third-straight loss to start the season. This loss, however, might hurt the most as the team had a lead with under 30 seconds on the clock before a missed shot from Russell Westbrook that seemed to frustrate LeBron James.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Lakers had the ball and were leading the Blazers 102-101 with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game. Instead of working for a better shot and taking some time off the clock, Westbrook took a contested jump shot with 17 seconds left on the shot clock and 30 seconds left on the game clock. The shot missed, and the Blazers ultimately won 106-104 as a direct result.
LeBron James was visibly frustrated by Westbrook’s decision during the game, but after the game, he got a little bit testy with a reporter who asked him about it.
"I feel like this an interview of trying to set me up to say something… You guys can write about Russ and all the things you guys want to try to talk about Russ. I'm not up here to do that. I won't do it. I've said it over and over. It's not who I am."
— LeBron James pic.twitter.com/DzOIpeolUH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 24, 2022
“I don’t know. I feel like this is an interview of trying to set me up to say something. I can tell that you guys are in the whole ‘Russell Westbrook’ category right now,” James said to the reporter. “You guys can write about Russ and all the things you guys want to try to talk about Russ, but I’m not up here to do that. I won’t do it. I’ve said it over and over. It’s not who I am.”
Things clearly aren’t going well in Los Angeles!
