The Lakers won their first game of the season on Sunday night with a 121–110 victory over the Nuggets.
Perhaps surprisingly, the key player on the Los Angeles roster was Russell Westbrook, who came off the bench to record 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He also registered a game-best +18 plus/minus figure.
Despite heavy scrutiny toward Westbrook since he joined the Lakers last season, teammate LeBron James has continued to stand up for Westbrook and applaud his performances when appropriate.
One of those instances came after Sunday night’s game.
“Tonight, he was more and more comfortable in the role,” James said of Westbrook, via Spectrum SportsNet.
The win over the Nuggets marked just the second time Westbrook has come off the bench this season. Before this year, the point guard hadn’t come off the bench since his rookie season with the Thunder back in 2008–09.
Being the sixth man is working out so far for Westbrook. In his first game coming off the bench, on Friday against the Timberwolves, he recorded 18 points and eight rebounds, similar to his performance on Sunday night. James applauded Westbrook for his performance then, too.
It’s unclear how long the Lakers plan to bring Westbrook in off the bench.
On Sunday night, James was the top scorer for the Lakers with 26 points, along with six rebounds and eight assists. The Lakers (1–5) play next when they host the Pelicans on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
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