Play.
I'll figure out how to get out of the shooting slump.
The Lakers' shooting struggles have been assessed by Russell Westbrook bluntly. (1:45)
3:20 AM
The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Kings 125-117, and coach Frank Vogel said his point guard was "just in a slump right now."
He offered a harsher assessment.
He said he couldn't make a shot.
The misses were not just against the Kings, even though L.A. lost for the second time this season to a team that came into the night with a five-game losing streak.
It's getting worse as he has been off for four games.
It began last Tuesday with a 7-for-19 showing, followed by a 4-for-14 showing, then a 2-for-12 showing, and finally a 14-for-14 showing, which included an 0-for-5 mark on 3-pointers.
"The word'slump' isn't something I rely on," he said. I stay locked into my craft. I'm trying to figure out the best way to play at the moment. It's as simple as that.
I'll figure it out. You have to figure out ways to make a shot. That's all.
The win over Minnesota was preceded by a game in which Westbrook committed nine turnovers and scored 20 points.
His ball protection has improved despite his shot being off. Over the past four games, he has just four turnovers.
He said taking care of the ball was important to him. I pay attention to that. That's more important if we are winning.
L.A. had a chance win Wednesday, as it cut a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to two with 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining.
On the Lakers' next possession, trailing by four, they fell apart.
With 7 seconds left, Westbrook missed a 3 that would have given him a triple-double.
Even though the replay showed there were six seconds on the shot clock when he began his shooting motion, he said there was four seconds on the shot clock. They denied the play. There are too many options at that point. I missed the guy who went under the screen. That's all.
The struggling teammate was supported by his teammate, who scored a game-high 34 points.
James said to keep working with him. He's getting some really good looks, it's just not going down for him, because he's been putting in work, and you're going to trust the work you put into it, so he's getting some really good looks.
The Golden 1 Center's public address system took a different approach when it was announcing the Lakers' starting lineups. The arena played a song by Foreigner when he was introduced.
That's funny. "I hope they played that for the last 14 years, too, because I've been in the league for 14 years," he said. They play it now. That's cute.
The Lakers started the second half of the schedule the same way they ended the first, looking far from the championship contender they were supposed to be.
We have 42 games left and we want to see what we're made of. It has been a roller coaster so far.
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