Darwin Hamm’s heated response when asked about Russell Westbrook’s last-second attempt against the 76ers:

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another loss in the closing moments of the fourth quarter as they fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 113-112 on Sunday.

Russell Westbrook’s game-winning attempt was blocked just before the final horn, and head coach Darwin Hamm defended his decision not to call a timeout until then.

Darwin Hamm, who allowed Russell Westbrook to take the last shot and not call a timeout. “I’ll do that script every day of the week and twice on Sundays.”

— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 16, 2023

Darwin Hamm furious about putting the ball in Russell Westbrook’s hands, not LeBron’s.

— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 16, 2023

Overall, Westbrook had a great game. He went 7-of-14 from the field and 2-of-5 from 3-point range, allowing him to finish with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.

With less than a minute left in the fourth quarter, Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid hit a mid-range jumper to put his team up by four. But Troy Brown Jr. quickly answered with a 3-pointer to pull LA to within one.

On Philly’s next possession, Embiid fumbled and Westbrook grabbed a defensive rebound with 13.3 seconds left and drove the ball down the field before Georges Niang blocked his jumper with 3.1 seconds left.

Hamm said after the game that he wanted Westbrook to attack in transition in that situation and not let the Sixers build their defense. However, there’s also the argument that the Lakers should have put together a good set play to come off a better shot attempt.

Also, many would probably argue that Westbrook was not a player the team wanted to win.

The Lakers are now on a 3-game losing streak and are 19-24. While they’re still in the mix for at least a spot in the playoffs, time is running out as they need to give themselves a cushion that could push them out of favor later in the season.

They are still without Anthony Davis, who is reportedly recovering from a stress injury in his right leg, and are also without Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves. Not having either of them has put a lot of pressure on the team as their margin for error is razor thin right now.