LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers came up short in a tight 116-113 finish in Game 4. Given the attritive state of the game, James commented upon the Lakers’ woes down the stretch and shared his input on the team’s performance with the media after the game.
“We got some really good looks,” said the forward. “Luka missed a point-blank layup to put us up seven. I missed a point-blank layup to put us up four. We had a couple of opportunities, and I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with that. We just missed some point-blank shots.”
“We were getting to where we wanted to get into,” added James. “We just weren’t able to convert.”
James’ disappointment with his team’s output in the fourth quarter is justified. After securing a 10-point lead heading into the final segment of the game, the Lakers took their foot off the gas as their collective offensive schemes fell through.
Although the Lakers forward doesn’t consider fatigue to be the reason for this drop-off, it is hard to ignore it given the circumstances. The Lakers’ second-half starters played the entirety of the second half without any substitutions being made.
The heavy minutes in an already grueling battle took their toll on the players as the Purple and Gold ended up scoring only 19 points in the fourth, while allowing the Minnesota Timberwolves to rack up 32 of their own.
James himself had a rough showing in the fourth quarter. After a reliable display in the first three quarters, the Lakers forward became immensely passive on the offensive side of the ball by the end of the game. Although he ended the game with 27 points credited to him, he notched zero points in the fourth.
The Lakers’ poor defense has already been called out by head coach JJ Redick. However, the display in the fourth quarter was undoubtedly an effect of lethargy. The Lakers looked sluggish as their shots clanked off the rim. Easy shots started to look challenging, and fatigue gave way to indecision.
Los Angeles still saw positive contributions from their starters. Luka Doncic was the team’s leading scorer with 38 points, a promising sight after making a recovery from his illness in Game 3. Rui Hachimura contributed another 23 points and five rebounds on the night.
The loss in Game 4 will hurt the Lakers’ hopes of keeping their postseason aspirations alive. A 3-1 deficit isn’t a favorable situation for any team. Although James himself is one of the few players who has successfully overcome these insurmountable odds, the Purple and Gold haven’t displayed the qualities to complete such a miraculous comeback.
Although the situation doesn’t benefit them, the Lakers are unlikely to go down without a fight. With Game 5 taking them back home to the Crypto.com Arena, the Purple and Gold will attempt to kickstart their comeback with a win at home on Wednesday at 10 pm ET.
