Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel was given the greenlight to bench Russell Westbrook if he feels it's the best path to winning. Vogel took to the tactic for the final four minutes of the Lakers home loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

Westbrook was shooting 5-for-17 from the floor when Vogel benched him for Malik Monk. The Lakers went on to trade points with the Pacers down the stretch, as they fell below .500 on the season.

In addition to his offensive struggles, Westbrook failed to follow the Lakers gameplan for defending Caris LeVert. Westbrook allowed LeVert to get to his right hand for a layup shortly before Vogel benched him.

When asked about his decision, Vogel said he was "Playing the guys that I thought were going to win the game."

For his part, Westbrook left the court with 8.4 seconds to play in the game. He then left the arena without speaking to the media.