Lakers: Fans React To Russell Westbrook's Last-Second Implosion Against Sixers

Did Joel Embiid get away with a foul?

When your Los Angeles Lakers fell to the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 113-112 last night, it seemed the big issue was a total breakdown during LA's final possession. Russell Westbrook found himself squaring off against All-NBA Sixers big man Joel Embiid with plenty of time remaining to set up a play. 

Instead, Darvin Ham decided not to call a timeout, letting Westbrook take the seven-footer on an iso. Westbrook lost control of the ball at one point, got it back, and dribbled his way right into an Embiid swat.

CHAOTIC ENDING IN LA 😳

SIXERS WIN pic.twitter.com/BPjYzFLyOm

— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2023

Blame for this moment, at least based on the broadcast, seems to be the fault of two big LA factors: head coach Darvin Ham's apparent hesitation to call a timeout and set up a play, and Westbrook's decision not to look for his teammates. Westbrook, however, claims there were other, extenuating circumstances that kept him from putting up a shot, beyond mere incompetence in his late-game execution.

NBA fans on the Twitterverse were less-than-pleased with Westbrook's performance, interference or not.

Welp... That was a rough ending.

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 16, 2023

A perturbed Mike Tomlin reference was even employed for good measure:

Just saw what Russell Westbrook did. pic.twitter.com/YTiKhkgszH

— Colb (@___Colb___) January 16, 2023

Fans were, understandably, apoplectic.

russ? RUSS.

— Darius Soriano (@forumbluegold) January 16, 2023

The moment possibly also turned one longtime Russ defender into a potential Russ hater:

Every time I start to think the pendulum has swung too far and Russell Westbrook gets too much hate he does something like this to give me a reminder

Used to be such a fun player to watch but just struggles to play winning basketball at this pointpic.twitter.com/hiOXYRgtST

— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) January 16, 2023

The fact that Russell Westbrook, who already holds the record for NBA triple-doubles, set the solo all-time record for triple-doubles as a reserve (four) with his 20/14/11 night, is doomed to get lost in the shuffle, subsumed but Westbrook's late-game failings, as CBS scribe Sam Quinn notes:

Two things can be true:

1. Russell Westbrook largely played a good game and makes meaningful contributions to the Lakers.

2. Russell Westbrook made the wrong play in crunch time, which he frequently does, and should therefore probably never play crunch time.

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) January 16, 2023

All that said, Westbrook may actually have had a point when it comes to his claims against Embiid:

Did Joel Embiid get away with a foul on Russell Westbrook on the final play of Lakers-Sixers? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/JazbNRX6Ps

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 16, 2023

Here's Embidd grabbing his wrist from another angle.

Joel Embiid got away with this grab on Russell Westbrook's final play 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/BGSafjfaLL

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) January 16, 2023

Clearly, league officials may not have noticed this. It's not particularly visible in the broadcast footage, and honestly it's not what ultimately cost the club the game -- Ham should have called a timeout either at the 15-second mark, when the Lakers first got the ball back following an Embiid miss at the other end, or at the six-second mark, when Westbrook dribbled the ball off his shoe before managing to regain control.