Westbrook chides Bazley for dunk: 'Certain things you just don't do'
Russell Westbrook was ejected in the closing seconds of the Los Angeles Lakers' 123-115 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder after protesting Darius Bazley's steal and breakaway dunk with the game already out of reach.
Bazley with the exclamation point!
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) October 28, 2021
Russ with the early exit. 👋#LALvsOKC | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/B4y9RDcnuB
Speaking about the play postgame, Westbrook criticized Bazley for violating one of basketball's unwritten rules.
"When shit like that happens I don't let it slide. ... There's certain things you just don't do in sports," Westbrook said, according to The Athletic's Bill Oram. "Game already over and I didn't like it. Simple as that."
Westbrook recorded a quadruple-double with turnovers in the defeat, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 10 giveaways. The Lakers' loss dropped their record to 2-3.
Los Angeles held a 26-point lead over Oklahoma City in the second quarter, but the Thunder outscored the Lakers 93-59 the rest of the way to earn the comeback victory. Prior to Wednesday's loss, L.A. owned a 230-0 record when leading by 25 or more points in a game in the last 25 years, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The Lakers were playing without LeBron James, who sat out for a second consecutive game with ankle soreness. Anthony Davis finished with a game-high 30 points and eight rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while rookie Josh Giddey recorded the first double-double of his career with 18 points and 10 assists.