On paper, the Lakers should have had an easy time putting down a Nets team without two of their top three players. James Harden was on an island out there with guys like Patty Mills, Nic Claxton, Bruce Brown, and DeAndre Bembry serving as his main support.
Despite the condition of their roster, the Nets still somehow pulled away with a victory in the end, moving to 22-9 on the season.
The Lakers were without Anthony Davis, but still had LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. Bron was impressive with 39 points on the night, but Westbrook had just 13 on 20% shooting with three turnovers.
For L.A., the worst of it came after the game was over when NBA Twitter roasted them for another loss.
tired of u @Lakers pic.twitter.com/Zk0GceXogr
— 𝚈𝚘𝚖𝚒☆ (@YrgYomi) December 26, 2021
LeBron shipping Westbrook away pic.twitter.com/0YXtkAEVmD
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 26, 2021
— Hopeful Knicks Fan (@hopefulknick) December 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/RealNBAExpert/status/1474949893684973570
Is back pic.twitter.com/sxtJQ8AMBy
— 💎 (@diamantdxlan) December 26, 2021
Couldn't win even without KD LOL pic.twitter.com/uEzoLnNYX9
— Something Else For Now (@SMTEFN) December 26, 2021
Year 19 37 years old and he’s still gotta carry a franchise smh pic.twitter.com/Kf4M5lwjWh
— Angel (@lakeshowangel) December 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/EvanColer2022/status/1474949850408103936
i can’t do this pic.twitter.com/xIWBKyfIdR
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) December 26, 2021
After their 2020 title run, there was much excitement about the future for the Lakers. On paper, they certainly appear to have everything going for them.
But since raising the Larry O’Brien trophy, the team has struggled to put themselves in a similar position. With mediocre play on both ends and discouraging performances from Westbrook, it’s clear that the Lakers have a lot of issues to work out.
Many haven’t been subtle about calling the team out for their struggles.
“Some people in the country, they burn they trash, and it stinks when they burn it,” Perkins said. “I mean, hot garbage. That’s who the Lakers are right now. … I’m tired of talking about the Lakers. You know why? Because they don’t deserve to be talked about. … They haven’t earned the right to be talked about. … They are trash.”
With their losing streak at five games now, nobody knows where the team is headed. Will their downfall continue or will they turn things around? Is there a major change coming, or will Rob Pelinka ride it out with the guys he has?
We’ll see soon enough how it all turns out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PTB-58_AkI
