Lakers head coach Frank Vogel decided not use Russell Westbrook in the final minutes of the Pacers game which ended with Indiana taking an unlikely win.
With a little less than 4 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter the Lakers were down by 7 points as Westbrook was replaced with Malik Monk. The gap between the two teams remained the same till the final buzzer.
After the game Carmelo Anthony was asked about Russ not playing at the end. “For me I was in the game so I don’t know, you get caught up in the midst of the game so it’s kind of hard to pay attention to what’s going on on the side line,” Melo said. “Again, it’s an adjustment. I think I know what [Russell Westbrook]’s dealing with, what he’s going through, I’ve been there before.
“I don’t think it was anything personal from coach, you say you saw he subbed him out in four minutes I think Malik came in or something like that. I don’t think it’s nothing personal, it’s something that he’s not used to.
“You would think somebody like that would be on the court but with the flow of the game has been times where I haven’t been in the game or other guys haven’t been in the game. I don’t think it’s anything personal, it’s just something that we gotta help him figure it out.
“It’s frustrating I can tell you that. It’s frustrating as a player who’s trying to make it right, trying to do things right. This is new for him. This a new situation, it’s a new environment. So we got to help him do it.
“I mean that’s the only thing we can do is make sure his mental right. That’s the only thing I care about. I don’t care about any other basketball stuff when it comes to Russ. As long as his mental is right, then I’m good.”
