LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt didn’t play in Tuesday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks but still managed to go viral. In the closing stages of the contest, James, Vanderbilt, and Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy started a countdown, as Giannis Antetokounmpo went through his free throw routine.
Antetokounmpo’s long routine tends to land him in trouble at times. As NBA rules state, a player has to shoot the free throw within 10 seconds of controlling the ball. We have seen opponents and fans start this countdown when he is at the line quite a few times by now. Antetokounmpo managed to get it off on time here at least, as LeBron himself acknowledged.
While Giannis got it off on time, he missed the free throw. The 29-year-old then missed the second attempt as well, which meant he finished the night 1-6 from the line.
For the season, Antetokoumpo is now shooting just 66.0% from the line. He’s only shot a worse percentage in two other seasons (63.3% in 2019-20 and 64.5% in 2022-23) in his career and you wonder if this might cost the Bucks in the playoffs.
It certainly cost them here, as the Lakers went on to win 128-124 in double overtime. Antetokounmpo had 29 points, 21 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in the contest, but struggled mightily in the fourth quarter and the two overtime periods. He only had 6 points in them, as the Lakers roared back from a double-digit deficit to get the win and improve to 40-32 on the season.
This was the second time this season that the Bucks lost to the Lakers without LeBron, and that’s simply not acceptable. They have now dropped to 46-26 in 2023-24 and are just two games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are currently third in the East.
LeBron James Spoke On Injury Management
LeBron has been dealing with an ankle injury for months now, and it was what kept him out of this clash with the Bucks. It was a shame we didn’t get to see him face off against Antetokounmpo, and James opened up on managing his injuries after missing this game for the Lakers.
“I have to be very strategic and smart with how I manage the rest of the season with my ankle/foot to get to the finish line,” wrote James. “Whatever line that lies ahead.”
With this Bucks clash being part of a back-to-back, it wasn’t all that surprising to me that James sat out. The Lakers will be facing the Memphis Grizzlies on the road next on Wednesday night and he was most likely going to miss one of these two.
The Lakers have two more back-to-backs left this season and unless they’re in a must-win scenario, I would expect LeBron to miss one of the two games on both occasions. The goal for him and the Lakers is to ensure he is as close to 100% as possible when they get to the postseason.
Despite being bothered by that ankle, James has had an excellent 2023-24 campaign. The 39-year-old is averaging 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game this season, and isn’t showing signs of slowing down just yet.
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