Another night, another loss for the slumping Los Angeles Lakers. Despite making an impressive comeback in the third quarter, the Lakers eventually failed to buckle down in the final period as Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks handed them a third-straight loss.

While LeBron James certainly did his part, Russell Westbrook struggled again as he continues to fail to live up to expectations. Following the contest, Russ got brutally honest on his recent play and made one thing clear: He needs to be a lot better.

Via ESPN:

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In 38 minutes of action, the Lakers guard had just 12 points while grabbing six boards and dishing out eight dimes. In fact, he's failed to score 20 points or more in nine consecutive games, despite typically playing at least 30 minutes per night. To be frank, Westbrook has absolutely no confidence right now. You can just see it with the way he's chucking up shots.

Although Bron is always going to be the leading catalyst, the Lakers brought in Russ to help them win a title. But at this point, it's simply just about getting into the playoffs and giving themselves a chance to compete. That being said, Westbrook's level of play needs to rise in all aspects to give Los Angeles any chance. The only positive takeaway from Tuesday for him? He actually didn't have any turnovers. Now, it's about limiting mistakes and finding his offensive touch again, whether it's scoring the rock or getting his teammates involved.