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‘I’m Not Your Child’: Russell Westbrook Reveals Heated Conversation with Referee Which Led to a Technical Foul
The Los Angeles Lakers were at the cusp of another humiliating loss if it weren’t for Anthony Davis who pushed the game to overtime to help them barely secure their 126-123 victory against the Charlotte Hornets. However, both AD and Russell Westbrook were given technicals by referees. And when Russ decided to argue, things got a little heated.
Unlike Westbrook’s last performance against the Portland Trail Blazers, this was surely a big improvement. If he hadn’t done even this much, he would have faced much more brutal wrath from the fans than that of the referee. Here’s Westbrook’s account of the entire ordeal.
Russell Westbrook and the referee got into a heated argument
The Los Angeles Lakers‘ two-game losing streak wasn’t sitting well with fans. With LeBron James out because of an injury, expectations of carrying the team to victories fall on Westbrook. However, he hasn’t been living up to them and facing a lot of backlash for the same.
Even for this matchup, Anthony Davis started off slow but eventually finished the night with 32 points and 12 rebounds. As always, Carmelo Anthony was a big help from the bench, adding 29 points of his own. Still, the Lakers blew a double-digit lead towards the end of the fourth quarter. Hence, needed overtime to finish the Hornets off.
Unsurprisingly, Westbrook continued to struggle midway through the third quarter. Then Rajon Rondo was tapped in to replace him, who finally got the purple and gold going. But with his ejection in the fourth quarter, Westbrook had to return only to be handed back-to-back technicals by referees for arguing, along with Davis.
According to Russ, the referee seemed to be furious with him for no reason. “He screamed at me. I told him ‘don’t scream at me… I’m not your child, I’ve got kids of my own,’” the 32-year-old revealed.
Russ says the referee that gave him the tech was “angry” at him for some reason.
“He screamed at me. I told him ‘don’t scream at me… I’m not your child, I’ve got kids of my own.'”
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) November 9, 2021
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Did the Lakers make a grave mistake?
If the Lakers hadn’t lost their cool in the fourth quarter, the situation wouldn’t have turned so bad. With so many turnovers and missed shots, it was unnecessarily dragged to OT.
It looks like as long as LeBron James stays out, fans will constantly have to worry about the LA teams’ fate. Clearly, they have been blowing out leads and losing matches to the easiest of matchups.
Nov 8, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) plays for the ball against Charlotte Hornets center Mason Plumlee (24) during overtime at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
And if Westbrook does not buck up, he will have to walk on eggshells around critics and fans. He was supposed to be the superstar rescuing them from last season’s misery, and instead is becoming the reason for one.
The post ‘I’m Not Your Child’: Russell Westbrook Reveals Heated Conversation with Referee Which Led to a Technical Foul appeared first on EssentiallySports.
