Lakers' Russell Westbrook 'Trying to Find Ways to Be Active' in Win over Warriors

LeBron James was the star of the show Saturday night with 56 points, but Russell Westbrook was also a key contributor in the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-116 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Westbrook finished with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists while shooting an efficient 9-of-17 from the field.

"Just trying to find ways to be active. That's about it," Westbrook told reporters when asked about his performance.

Westbrook's role has been an increasingly tense subject as the Lakers entered Saturday with five straight losses and eight in their last nine games. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported there had been internal discussions about moving the 2017 NBA MVP to the bench, including disagreements among members of the coaching staff.

Westbrook came off the bench 17 games during his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder but has not been used as a reserve in the 13 seasons since. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said the team has "talked about everything," though it's unclear how open Westbrook would be to moving to the bench.

"I'm not a quitter," Westbrook told reporters Thursday. "It's not in my genes. I don't quit, regardless of what the hell going on. I'm going to fight till the end of if it don't work, it's cool, too. I can live with the results. But I'm never going to give up or give in because of a little struggle that's happening this time of the year."

While it was a far-from-perfect performance and took a Herculean effort from James, the Lakers found a way to win without taking last-resort measures Saturday. Westbrook had more turnovers (three) than points (two) in the fourth quarter, but he did take a willing backseat to James down the stretch in guiding the offense—something we've rarely seen from a sometimes trigger-happy Russ late in the fourth quarter.

There may be an answer in heavily staggering the James-Westbrook minutes down the stretch while the team hopes Anthony Davis can make a return from a right mid-foot sprain before the playoffs.