The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be reeling after losing yet another close game that could’ve ended as a win. We’ve seen the Lakers blow games to teams like the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics earlier in the season, but we have seen 2 tough losses hit the Lakers back-to-back.
After losing in 2OT against the Mavericks, the Lakers were hoping to bounce back against the Philadephia 76ers. A historic night for LeBron James kept the team close, with Russell Westbrook providing a much-needed spark off the bench. However, the final play saw Westbrook fail to score on a one-on-one iso against Joel Embiid, costing the Lakers the game.
CHAOTIC ENDING IN LA 😳
SIXERS WIN pic.twitter.com/BPjYzFLyOm
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2023
Fans were angry with Westbrook for not passing the ball to LeBron, but many are also mad at Darvin Ham for not calling a timeout when the Lakers had 2 available ones. Coach Ham has defended his decision by saying it was a mismatch that he ‘would take every day of the week, and twice on Sundays’.
Darvin Ham said "no, not really" when asked if he considered calling a timeout on the final play, saying he liked Russ vs. Embiid 1-on-1.
"I'll take that scenario every day of the week and twice on Sunday."
Ham said Westbrook just needed to finish the play.
— michael corvo (@michaelcorvo_) January 16, 2023
Not the best thing to say when the entire NBA world can see why that was a bad play. Westbrook believes he got fouled and the referees didn’t call it, so a referee whistle could have changed everyone’s reaction to this game.
Can The Lakers Compete For The Playoffs?
The way this season is going, it is going to be very hard for the Lakers to make the playoff and compete in it. They might just be a winning streak away from being a playoff team but they don’t have nearly enough to actually compete for a title if they manage to sneak into the postseason.
The Lakers are just 3 games behind the 6th-seeded Clippers, so this should be an impetus for the front office to get some additional pieces in the winter to help them secure a top-6 seed. It is within grasp, but not if the Lakers keep losing games like this one.
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