The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to follow up their victory in Orlando with another one over the Miami Heat. LeBron James led the Lakers with 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but he also was the main culprit of the team’s issues against the Heat with six turnovers in the 14-point loss.
The Lakers had 26 turnovers as a team with Dennis Schroder, Thomas Bryant, Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves all having at least three on the night in addition to LeBron’s miscues. That, combined with Bam Adebayo’s work on the offensive glass, doomed the Lakers is this game.
After the game, James pointed out the obvious as to why the Lakers came up short against Miami being their inability to take care of the ball and control the glass, via NBA.com:
“I mean, 92 shot attempts to 77 and it’s pretty much off our turnovers. They had 31 points off our turnovers, they had 19 second chance points off offensive rebounds and that’s pretty much the game right there.”
The loss is the Lakers’ fifth in seven games since Anthony Davis went down with his foot injury and the team has, predictably, struggled without their best player. The Lakers already had little room for error following their slow start to the season and if something doesn’t change soon, they could be too far removed to make a playoff run even when Davis returns.
The Lakers need to figure something out quickly, but James doesn’t believe there is a quick solution to this issue and that it is simply going to take time to figure out how to best operate without Davis in the lineup:
“I think it’s gonna take some time. I also think the film sessions helps. The shootarounds that we have when we’re able to get on the floor helps. We have been playing a lot of games, every other day or back-to-back so we haven’t had much practice time. It was good to get Juan [Toscano-Anderson] back tonight, get us another body, some more length, that was great to have him back out there with his activity. But it’s gonna take some time and we’ll see what goes from here.”
It is a very difficult situation the Lakers are facing, and one that requires some serious work not just from LeBron on the court, but head coach Darvin Ham and the front office led by Rob Pelinka. James may be right in that the Lakers needs time, but that is something they just don’t have.
Lakers’ LeBron James emphasizes desire to win more championships
Even with as good as James has been this season, he is still in Year 20 and nearing the end of his basketball career. But LeBron is not satisfied with just coasting during these latter stages and riding off into the sunset.
LeBron made it clear that as long as he is locked in mentally, he feels he can perform at a high level and wants to compete for championships. The Lakers’ superstar noted that he is ‘a winner’ and wants to win and give himself the chance to compete for championships.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
