LOS ANGELES — The shoulder shimmy. Rocking the baby. Too small. The all-out flex.
The Lakers were hitting these poses and more on Sunday, cutting loose against the Denver Nuggets in what became their first win of the season. When asked if the home crowd, which was cheering his stints and highlights, got him in the mood to be more expressive, Russell Westbrook said his motivation was a little more personal.
“I did more because I saw my brother stand up, seeing my mom and dad,” he said with a smile. “Saw my brother stand up and we were having a real good time playing. Saw my wife in the stands. That’s what it was.”
Something infused into the Laker bench in the last two games. On Wednesday again, as the Lakers polished off a 12-0 run into halftime, Lonnie Walker IV celebrated a corner 3-pointer right before the buzzer with an exaggerated stride. After starting the season with a dark cloud hanging over their heads, the team seems to have found a little bit of the sunnier side of the game.
Coach Darvin Ham said he was for it. As a former player himself, he said he relates to the need to have some fun with body language in the heat of the moment.
“As long as we’re not disrespecting our opponents or our teammates for that matter by being silly, there’s nothing wrong with pure, genuine enthusiasm,” Ham said. “And you see that when things are going well. So I was happy to see them enjoying themselves. You tend to play harder, you tend to be more locked in and engaged when they’re having success.”
Juan Toscano-Anderson said he had a hard time sitting out the previous two games seeing how much fun the Lakers’ second unit, especially, has been having on the court. He credited Westbrook for instilling confidence and energy into the group.
Toscano-Anderson added that with the Golden State Warriors, he credited two-time league MVP Steph Curry with bringing some swagger to on-court celebrations.
“He’s made it OK to smile. Or to dance. Or to celebrate,” he said. “We play the game because we love this game. I have fun playing this game. So when I see guys like that do stuff like that, and they’re enjoying it, I’m enjoying it indirectly through them. It’s fulfilling.”
LAKERS GET SPOOKY
For some of the Lakers, it was their first big team Halloween party on Monday night. Troy Brown Jr. didn’t know what to expect – in more ways than one.
The festivities at Anthony Davis’ house included detailed costumes, from Davis’ homicidal ghost, to Toscano-Anderson’s Joker costume with his girlfriend, who went as Harley Quinn. But Davis also had set up a haunted house staffed by live actors – who kept changing locations every time guests went through.
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“You didn’t know where the people were going to be,” Brown said. “Like, you go through once and you’re like, ‘OK, I know where everything is at.’ And then you go in again and it’s not the same.”
Brown said he didn’t get caught screaming, but added that Davis put in so much effort, “you gotta give him respect.”
Lakers Halloween parties have become somewhat legendary, and LeBron James is one of the players who has usually planned big costumes and parties on what he calls his favorite holiday. Toscano-Anderson said it wasn’t like anything he’s experienced, and he relished the invite.
“I always say, ‘I like hanging out with my rich friends,’” Anderson quipped. “I’m a kid from East Oakland. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money. So now that I got rich friends, it’s pretty cool. Shout out to A.D., he put on a really dope party. All the bells and whistles. It was amazing. I had a great time.”