Russell Westbrook Confronts Darius Bazley Seconds Before Lakers Blow 26-Point Lead in Disastrous Loss to Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook was ejected in the final seconds of their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday after he picked up his second technical foul for getting into a confrontation with NBA sophomore Darius Bazley, blowing a 26-point lead.
Twenty-four hours before the match in Oklahoma, Russell Westbrook put up 33 points and 10 rebounds to lift the LeBron James-less LA Lakers to an overtime victory over the Spurs in San Antonio. However, in the storyline of their game against the youngest team in the NBA, the outcome went different.
Russell Westbrook 'Beastbrook' Confronts Oklahoma City Thunder Darius Bazley
The Los Angeles Lakers gave up a 26-point lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder, losing on Wednesday night, 115-123. According to Sportskeeda, the episode happened when the Lakers inbounded the ball, trailing 115-120 to OKC with four seconds left in the game.
Rajon Rondo attempted to pass the ball from the backcourt to Carmelo Anthony standing in the frontcourt. However, the 21-year-old Bazley intercepted the pass from Rondo and sprinted full steam ahead, and dunked the ball in, which extended the lead.
Russell Westbrook took exception to the play made by Bazley since the game's fate had already been decided. As Bazley walked back, Westbrook got into his face and told him that there was no way that he could do that.
The 32-year-old guard, who played for OKC for years, had already picked up a technical foul earlier in the game, and after earning an immediate second technical, he had to be tossed from the game.
During the postgame interview, Westbrook did not mince any words about his ejection from the game, which stemmed from the Bazley steal-and-dunk episode.
The superstar point guard called himself "old school" in the situation and explained that he did not want to let those things slide.
Russell Westbrook emphasized that there were certain things you just don't do in sports, especially once the game is already over.
"When sh*t like that happens I don't let it slide... There's certain things you just don't do in sports. Game already over and I didn't like it. Simple as that," Westbrook said.
Los Angeles Lakers Blow 26-Point Lead for the First Time
The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 26-point first-half lead in what sports analysts considered one of the worst losses that the franchise has ever suffered in history, including the playoffs.
The LA Lakers had won their previous 230 games every time they had a lead of 25 points or more at any point during the contest. However, the latest game's result made it 230-1, CBS Sports reported.
The "Purple and Gold" squad started the game on fire, with Russell Westbrook notching almost triple numbers in the first half of the game.
After the loss, Lakers big man Anthony Davis said they were definitely supposed to win the game and not lose at all. Davis noted that despite the loss, they have learned from it, and they moved forward. The OKC team started the season with a 0-4 record.
READ MORE: LeBron James-Less Lakers Beat San Antonio Spurs in Overtime
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Westbrook Ejected After Letting Bazley Know He Didn't Appreciate Him Dunking in the Final Seconds - From MLG Highlights