Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet had a very strong outing in Saturday’s win over the Golden State Warriors with 27 points and 12 assists.
However, he was three rebounds shy of a triple-double, and after the game, he threw some shade at Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook.
VanVleet was the biggest factor in Toronto’s 119-100 win on Saturday. The Warriors decided to sit out Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins for the contest.
Westbrook, despite being a 6-foot-3 guard, has averaged double figures in rebounding in multiple seasons.
However, critics have accused him of taking shortcuts defensively and stealing rebounds from his teammates in order to pad his stats.
After a somewhat shaky start to the season, Westbrook has been mostly playing well for the Lakers, averaging 19.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on the year.
His speed, aggressiveness and ability to attack the rim, among his other skills, have helped keep the struggling and shorthanded Lakers afloat in the always-competitive Western Conference.
L.A. is currently 16-14 and is clinging to the sixth seed in the West.
With superstar big man Anthony Davis out for the next several weeks with a sprained MCL, Westbrook will likely be called upon to step up his game, especially as a scorer, to help the Lakers build some real momentum.
Coming into Friday’s blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, L.A. had won three games in a row and six of its last eight.
The NBA is reportedly reopening its investigation into a 2021 incident involving Los Angeles Lakers…
The Los Angeles Lakers used a first-round pick on Jalen Hood-Schifino back in the 2023…
The Athletic's Jovan Buha became the latest person to connect the Los Angeles Lakers to…
Former NBA player turned political candidate Royce White made a post on X on Thursday…
Ahead of Wednesday night's bout between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, a former…
According to Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will…