Russell Westbrook may have shot 4-of-20 from the field in the Los Angeles Lakers 122-115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day — the team's fifth straight defeat — but LeBron James isn't losing belief in his star teammate.

“I think he had an off-shooting night,” LeBron said. “I think he missed so many shots around the rim that he's been accustomed to making throughout his career and throughout this season. So, not worried about too much of that.”

Westbrook — who ended up with 13 points, 11 assists, and 12 rebounds for his seventh triple-double of 2021-22 — isn't exempt from blame. The Lakers like the idea of Russ getting to the rim, but he did miss numerous bunnies — 11, to be exact, including leaving a dunk short with the Lakers down by three in the final minute.

The stats don't show a dip in his effectiveness inside, but, anecdotally, each foray into the paint has been an adventure this season.(Russ declined to speak to the media afterward.)

“A big part of it is he just wants it so bad,” David Fizdale said. “I mean you can just see it in him, everybody does. He wants it so bad. And I know that's just hard for him when it doesn't work out. And I know he cares like crazy. … I just want him to take a lot of that pressure off himself, keep attacking, keep playing the way we know he can.”

On a positive note, his shot selection has been far better, as of late:

As LeBron pointed out, Westbrook's rebounding was legitimately awesome, and his energy and play-making were consistent on a night when the Lakers posted two excellent quarters and two horrid ones. (As usual, he made a few glaring defensive mistakes.)

“His decision-making was spectacular tonight,” assessed LeBron. “He had 12 rebounds, five of them offensive. And we know we're not one of the better offensive rebounding teams in this league. He gave us extra possessions.”

The Lakers woke up on Christmas ranked 17th in the NBA in rebound rate and 26th in offensive rebound percentage. They have been increasingly going to “centerless” lineups since Anthony Davis went down, as they did for much of the Nets matchup. Earlier in the week, David Fizdale specifically called out the Lakers need to do better in the “possession game.”

“Right now we’re getting out butts kicked in the possession game. Teams are getting too many more shots than us at the goal.”

On Saturday, Los Angeles took seven more shots than Brooklyn. They had 13 turnovers (three from Russ) compared to Brooklyn's 10. In the end, the Lakers will live with Westbrook missing layups.

“He just missed a lot of looks around the basket, which I know that he can't stand, as well,” LeBron re-iterated about Westbrook. “As far as the effort piece, the guy plays hard and leaves it out on the floor. I got no problem with that. It's a make-or-miss league.”