Bonus Episode! The Lakers Beat Orlando, Russell Westbrook Bounces Back from Benching, Tension Lowered

For 24 minutes on Friday, it looked like the Lakers might distract from the chaos of the last few days by losing to the Orlando Magic (who have won twice this year at home... twice) and getting Frank Vogel fired. After a listless first half, though, the Lakers bounced back with a dominant final two quarters, and walked away with an easy win. It helped that they made adjustments at halftime, adding Stanley Johnson to the lineup and switching everything, which basically shut down Orlando's attack completely. It helped that Carmelo Anthony went nuts in the second half, and that LeBron James and Russell Westbrook both played well. But really, that's not what people were focused on. The story of the day, and the night, was Westbrook's reaction to getting benched down the stretch in Wednesday's loss to Indiana. The report from Woj that quoted Westbrook and got some insight into his reaction (remember, he didn't speak to the media after the loss), Vogel's pregame comments and everything everyone said after. It does appear, for now at least, that any big fallout has been averted. That doesn't mean Westbrook liked the choice, or would react well should Vogel pull that lever again. (Nor would you expect him to.) It doesn't mean their relationship hasn't shifted in important ways. But it does mean that the Lakers are out of a dangerous space and can try to steer the conversation back to all the other bits of crisis management that have beset this year's squad... HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: All about Friday's win vs. Orlando, and the Russell Westbrook mini-saga. Has the danger passed? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline AG There is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. PrizePicks Don’t hesitate, check out PrizePicks.com and use promo code: “NBA” or go to your app store and download the app today. PrizePicks is daily fantasy made easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices