The Houston Rockets seemed completely outmatched on Thursday, as they suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, 110-100, in Game 4 of their second-round series. Looking ahead to a do-or-die Game 5 on Saturday, Rockets guard Russell Westbrook revealed what he believes Houston must do in order for them to live to fight another day.
According to Westbrook, it's going to be a complete team effort for the Rockets:
“We know what we have to do,” Westbrook said, via The Athletic's Kelly Iko. “It’s going to take a lot of effort. It’s going to take everyone being uncomfortable in their role and making sure that we understand that we all have to sacrifice some of the things we may love to do. But we’ve gotta scramble. That gives us the best chance to win games.”
Westbrook went into further detail as to the mindset he believes his team has to take for them to stand a chance against the mighty Lakers:
“The conversation is number one, take care of the play in front of you,” the Rockets star added. “Obviously, it’s win or go home. So you have to come out, and make sure you have that mindset. It’s one game at a time, especially here down in the bubble. It’s a different scenario than any other playoffs. We’ll be able to take our time and make sure we take advantage of our size and our speed. We have to do it, if we want to win. That’s what gives us the best chance of winning. That conversation starts tonight, goes on tomorrow, and hopefully, we can take care of business in the next game.”
Westbrook has actually been quite impressive in the series, averaging 22.3 points on 44.3 percent shooting, to go along with 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals. Nonetheless, he will be asked to do even more from this point forward, with the Rockets' season on the line.
Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday night, and Houston must win that game to keep their campaign alive. A fourth straight loss to the Lakers will mark the end of another disappointing campaign, and will likely entail some major ramifications during the upcoming offseason. It's win or go home for Westbrook and company, and they will be expected to give it everything they've got — and more — on Saturday.
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