Miles Bridges defends Russell Westbrook after going toe to toe with him during Lakers-Hornets game

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook put together an epic performance on Friday and almost carried his shorthanded squad to a win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Unfortunately, the Lakers came up short, but Westbrook did enough to impress plenty of folks, including Hornets rising star Miles Bridges. The youngster talked about Westbrook after the game and heaped lots of praise on the Lakers veteran.

The Hornets came away with a 117-114 win over the Lakers. Westbrook had a monster second half and almost got the job done for L.A. In total, he racked up 35 points, four rebounds and five assists while shooting 12-for-23 from the field and 3-for-7 from deep. He also turned the ball over just once.

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis out for the game, Westbrook was able to run the show. He made the most of the opportunity and proved that he’s still capable of producing fantastic results when he’s the primary option.

Once James and Davis return, the challenge for the Lakers will revolve around finding a way to have success with Westbrook on the floor when he isn’t the primary option. Obviously, that has been a common challenge this season.

Many fans would still like to see Westbrook play with the second unit, as that would allow him to be the Lakers’ top option on the floor for certain portions of games. But ultimately, it remains to be seen if L.A. will go in that direction at some point.

The Lakers are 24-26 on the season after their latest defeat. They’ll be back in action on Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks.