The LA Lakers were a team that won the off-season. The team strengthened their roster with the addition of stars like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Russell Westbrook. They entered the regular season with one of the most menacing rosters.
Unfortunately, things have not been going well for LeBron James and co. Questions have come up as to what is the reason behind the Laker’s downfall. Do they need to make a few changes t their roster or are they playing bad basketball? The matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers was another night of disappointment for Laker fans.
LA Lakers cannot blame Russell Westbrook for this one
The LA Lakers were up against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers were a weaker team on paper and this was supposed to be an easy win for the Lakers. LeBron and co had one job. They had to go out there and play good basketball. However, the match ended in a way that made NBA fans around the world question who to blame for the Laker’s terrible performances.
When looking at the match against the Blazers the first quarter was a tough one and ended with a tie. Both teams put up 18 points. The Lakers managed to win the second quarter with 36 points but lost the third by letting the Blazers put up 29 points to their 24. The fourth quarter saw the Portland Trail Blazers play some excellent basketball. They put up 31 points to clinch the win. The Lakers lost 105-107.
The Lakers put up only 40 points in the paint and had only 4 fast breakpoints. The Blazers on the other hand dominated the paint and scored 28 points on fastbreak plays. Even though the Lakers had more bench points than the Blazer they blew a nine-point lead. The team also had 21 turnovers. Anthony Davis did not take a single shot attempt in the fourth quarter leaving LeBron James with the weight of fighting to win this game.
Anthony Davis took zero shots in the 4th quarter tonight. pic.twitter.com/EybZFnvlvO
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 10, 2022
Lakers fans were not the only disappointed people. NBA legend, Earvin Magic Johnson also took to Twitter to explain his disappointment with the Lakers.
After the @Lakers loss to Portland tonight, I'm speechless. No words can describe how I'm feeling.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 10, 2022
With the trade deadline closing in on teams, fans are wondering what moves LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are going to make. There have been a number of speculations as to why Russell Westbrook is the reason why the Lakers are not playing well but the man did not even step on the court tonight. Anthony Davis has also not been as dominant as we would expect him to be.
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently ninth seed in the Western Conference with a 26-30 record. They have lost their last two games and are on a five-game losing streak in away games. Hopefully, the Lakers will find their momentum and spark away and get back to winning ways.
