Frank Vogel made a key decision as the Los Angeles Lakers went into overtime against the New York Knicks. After letting a nine-point lead slip away in the final two minutes, the closing lineup with Russell Westbrook just wasn't working.
The Lakers coach inserted Talen Horton-Tucker in place of Westbrook in the extra period, and the purple and gold pulled off the 122-115 victory.
After the Lakers' win, Vogel was asked about his move to sit Russell Westbrook in overtime:
“Obviously, Russ was having a tough night on both sides of the ball,” said the Lakers coach. “LeBron was really going, so I knew the ball was going to be in Bron's hands. I felt like we were going to get more from a defensive perspective and off-ball action with Talen. You just make tough decisions in the spirit of whatever a team needs to win a game.”
Westbrook was having a miserable game throughout, finishing with just five points on a brutal 1-for-10 shooting clip from the field. When Frank Vogel inserted him for the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, the Lakers were -6 in that stretch, with Westbrook failing to contribute in any measure with his only box score stat in that span being a missed 3-pointer and two missed free throws that would have iced the game.
The Lakers coach had more to say about the benching:
“If someone's not playing well enough and they don't get to finish the game or get to close the game out, there's nothing wrong with giving somebody else you feel is going to give you a better chance, giving them that opportunity,” Vogel continued. “And hopefully the response is, that player plays better. That's the hope.”
The Russell Westbrook balancing act has been Frank Vogel's biggest challenge so far this season. He pushed the right buttons against the Knicks.
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