The Kings hosted the Lakers in the premier Western Conference game tonight, and the teams didn’t disappoint. Despite trailing by 11 points at halftime, the Lakers kept fighting to keep themselves in the game and went to OT. Unfortunately, the game slipped out of their hands due to poor shooting as the Kings improved to 2-1 on the season.
Fans loved the action, which included clutch baskets from the likes of LeBron James and Malik Monk.
Back on home court tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/LrrVauRHYv
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 30, 2023
One fan went off on the Lakers roster, criticizing almost every aspect of how they’ve been constructed.
BRO THIS FUCKING LAKERS TEAM IS FULL OF IDIOTS
THEY CAN'T DEFEND
THEY CAN'T REBOUND
HOW ARE THEY FUCKING CONSIDERED WORLD CLASS ATHLETES
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 30, 2023
More fans think James Harden is the solution for the Lakers given how bad D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent have been.
Lakers need to trade for Harden, they can keep lying to themselves about D’Lo if they want
— Uncle Block (@517to214) October 30, 2023
The Lakers were having spells where they attempted a three, missed it, got the offensive rebound, attempted another three, just to miss it again. Fans were beyond frustrated with the poor shooting.
Lakers shooting open 3’s pic.twitter.com/k0Pv0VioeN
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) October 30, 2023
There was concern for LeBron James’ minutes, as the Lakers forward was on a minutes restriction which has disappeared in recent games.
Lebron James is at 34 minutes in this game. Night after night he’s having to play heavy minutes on the roster for the Lakers to win. Win or Lose this is a concerning time for LA if Bron has to play 35+ minutes on a nightly basis.
Outstanding Game tho
— GrandMaster Gifted🏀🎮 (@GiftedHoops_) October 30, 2023
Lakers fans had to be closed out by Malik Monk, a player they had just a few seasons ago.
Lakers fans watching Malik Monk cook in OT pic.twitter.com/omWF4krwVj
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) October 30, 2023
With De’Aaron Fox on an injured ankle and Domantas Sabonis having fouled out, the Kings role-players ultimately closed the Lakers with LeBron and Anthony Davis out.
kings role players closing out the lakers. i have to laugh lmao
— SJ (@SJBasketball8) October 30, 2023
The Lakers were led by Anthony Davis who had 30 points and 16 rebounds, along with two steals and three blocks. However, his aggression waned as the game went on which was a problem for the Lakers’ three-happy offense late in the game. LeBron James shrugged off a slow start to hit the layup that sent the Lakers to OT, ending the night with 27 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. Taurean Prince had a strong game too, scoring 20 points.
The best player on the evening wore a Kings jersey, as De’Aaron Fox scored 37 points with eight assists. He could have done more if not for a late-game injury, though he did check back in and play as much as he could. Malik Monk had 22 points off the bench, being the primary scorer for the Kings in OT and closing out this win.
Are The Lakers In Trouble?
Through the first three games, the Lakers have only faced opposition that’s expected to be in the playoffs this season. The Nuggets, Suns, and Kings could be the three best teams in the West according to many rankings, so their 1-2 record to start the season is against top-tier opposition.
Every game has been competitive, though the Lakers struggled to even keep themselves in fighting distance in their opening night loss to the Nuggets, with load-managing LeBron James being their biggest mistake. As a result, they didn’t load-manage LeBron against the Suns and let him take over in the clutch to bring them the win.
He did a similar thing against the Kings, helping the Lakers cut an 11-point lead by hitting the game-tying bucket that sent them to OT. After OT, James ended up playing 39 minutes, with the Lakers playing again tomorrow.
It’ll be interesting to see if James and Davis are rested against the Orlando Magic tomorrow given their heavy workload in recent games. With the team currently 1-2 and a young Magic squad coming to town, the Lakers cannot underestimate their opposition. A 1-3 start would officially start concerning people, with the chances of a title-winning Lakers season looking slim.
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