After coming off a win, the Lakers started off strong during their latest matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. However, it did not last long as the Lakers lost 111-104 against head coach Frank Vogel's old team. After the game, Vogel spoke with the media and was asked why he made the choice to bench Russell Westbrook during the final four minutes of the game. Vogel gave a very blunt response and moved on quickly.
"Playing the guys I thought were going to win the game," said Vogel.
During the Wednesday night matchup Westbrook played better, but not at his best. Westbrook shot 5-17 and scored 14 points. However, Westbrook was 4-6 on three-pointers which is a big positive considering he went six straight games without making a single three. Nonetheless, as the head coach, it is important that if Vogel was going to take out one of their starters, he needed to be confident the player coming off the bench would put them in scoring position.
The Lakers were working together and taking control for most of the first half, so much so that they even went to halftime with a six-point lead. Then the dreaded third quarter arrived and the game was neck and neck. Eventually, L.A. lost their momentum and now have a losing record once again.
Clearly, the choices made in those final minutes did not help L.A. to get back to a winning record. With that said, even though the rumor of Frank Vogel potentially being fired has now been dismissed, what does this loss mean for the head coach?
Lakers Frank Vogel Had a Blunt Response on Benching Russell Westbrook vs. Pacers - Sports Illustrated
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