Why lakers keep losing

But in this game, James came out aggressive looking to get to the basket and score at will. Nothing can illustrate that more than this sequence during the first half.

LeBron scored 13 points in the first half while contributing 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Then in the third quarter, he kept the aggressiveness going by knocking down two shots early after halftime.

He spearheaded a run to get the Lakers an point lead in the third quarter. But boy does he have to ease back on the turnovers. He had six in the first half! The King finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. This seems like a strange headline here. Why should Lakers fans care that AD had a good first quarter? Well, last season, Davis made the mistake of letting the game come to him and lost his shooting rhythm and the Lakers ended up losing at home.

That game started a shooting slump that stretched out for about a week and a half.. Getting the offense started allowed LeBron to get his party started in the second quarter. The turnovers were a product of his trying too hard and rushing everything. He was much better in this game.

In addition to both Gasol and Kuzma sitting out, Alex Caruso neck spasms did not return to action. Caruso is listed as day-to-day. What this boils down to is late rotation defense. The logical answer to this is that defenders are simply being lazy but instead they are not talking. They have shown glimpses of what they can be on defense but as the season progresses, the Lakers seem to degress. After having the shortest offseason in NBA history, the Lakers look down right tired out on the floor.

It is quite evident with players not hustling back on defense, complaining on non-calls or simply looking gassed. For starters LeBron James is one who is experiencing all three at once. In his 18th season, many at his age are slowing down and resting more than anything. Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker thumb surgery were on the bench, both inactive.

That opened the door for Avery Bradley, whom the Lakers added on a nonguaranteed deal Monday after he lost the battle for a spot on the Warriors of all teams. With the Lakers struggling to defend on the perimeter, Vogel inserted Bradley in the fourth quarter and the veteran quickly hit a pair of jumpers to spark the Lakers before they fell short.

Curry led the Warriors with 21 points and added 10 assists and 10 rebounds for a triple-double. Jordan Poole scored Lakers guard Austin Reaves to miss at least two weeks with hamstring strain.

Elliott: Malik Monk again shows why Lakers can count on him in the clutch. Lakers-Heat takeaways: Russell Westbrook steps up in overtime victory. Lakers rally late to beat Heat in overtime. All Sections. About Us. Last year they rolled through the playoffs field in the NBA Bubble, their two top-5 players an unstoppable force.

Overall they went and looked inevitable. Then the season occurred, and injuries to those two stars pushed the Lakers down the bracket and injected uncertainty. Three games in things were trending in the right direction. The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers were beating each other up for the right to lose to the defending champs. It all fell apart from there. Anthony Davis would suffer a groin injury late in the first half of Game 4, while opposite them Chris Paul would gut through his shoulder injury to lead the Suns to the win.

Then Game 5 was an absolute blowout for the Suns to take the series lead. Game 6, back in Los Angeles, was a win-or-go-home situation for the Lakers. Unable to rise to the occasion, they lost again in ignominious fashion to end their season. Yet it was not the sole reason the Lakers lost, especially when you consider how badly the Suns rolled over them the final three games of the series.