It hasn't been an ideal first season with the Los Angeles Lakers for Russell Westbrook, but the former All-Star put on a vintage performance Friday night.
Westbrook finished with a 22-point triple-double in the 128-123 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors. He topped the night off with a clutch steal before pushing the ball up the floor and hitting the game-tying 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.
When asked about the confidence required to pull off such a play amid his year-long struggles, Westbrook told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, "Um, I got 23,000 points. How about that?"
Lakers star LeBron James, who led his team in scoring for the fifth straight game, praised his teammate's important play down the stretch.
"Big-time IQ there on his part and a big-time shot by a big-time player," he said.
Westbrook has been the subject of much criticism throughout the Lakers' disappointing season; the 33-year-old spoke out on the harassment directed toward him and his family from fans and called out the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday after they were seen taunting him on the floor.
The win kept the Lakers one game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans as the 9-seed in the Western Conference with just 12 games left in the regular season.
