Russell Westbrook on if the Lakers are moving in the right direction: ‘I guess’

Russell Westbrook sounded a bit unsure about the Los Angeles Lakers moving in the right direction as the season comes to its midway point.

“I mean,” he said, “I guess we’re moving in the right direction. Other than tonight. That’s all you can worry about is the next game and (to) figure it out. You want to be playing your best at the end of the year.”

Westbrook took some time to give his answer after the Lakers fell to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, 127-119. The Lakers veteran guard finished with six points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Lakers loss but had zero turnovers.

Los Angeles has been playing well in recent weeks to get back above .500, winning five of its past seven games. But the Lakers haven’t exactly faced the more daunting part of their schedule.

“Of the 21 wins that helped them stay a hair above .500, only five of them came against teams that, as of Sunday night, have winning records (Memphis, Cleveland, Charlotte, Miami, Dallas),” wrote The Athletic’s Bill Oram. “Fewer than half of their games so far have been against teams with a winning record.:

Before winning five of their last seven games, the Lakers had lost five games in a row in late December. The next few weeks don’t look much easier for Los Angeles with upcoming matchups with the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat.

The Lakers are back in action on Wednesday on the road against the Sacramento Kings.