LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers once again failed to put a game away and paid the price. The Lakers lost a close game in overtime to the Houston Rockets, a team that has not played well for most of the season. LeBron James had a chance to win the game in regulation with a layup but chose to pass the ball to Carmelo Anthony who was open, who then missed and sent the game to overtime.
LeBron James spoke after the game about his decision to pass up on the layup and give the ball to Carmelo Anthony. James noted that he had a good look initially, but the defense forced him behind the backboard, and he felt in that moment that Carmelo Anthony would have had a better shot because of his positioning (4:14 onwards).
https://twitter.com/SpectrumSN/status/1501792054162051072
“On the drive I had an angle, for sure, and David Nwaba came over and I took a long 1-2 step and ended up behind the backboard. I was a little bit off-balance. I could have forced a reverse layup. But I wasnt in a position to where I could have got a great look. I could have had a decent look. And I feel like Melo’s look was a lot better than mine. That’s it.”
James also took responsibility for missing key shots and noted that he would be better in the Lakers’ next game. On top of that, he also spoke about how teams in the NBA punish the Lakers for every mistake, and the team has no margin for error when they’re on the court.
The Lakers really need to figure things out soon, as they could very easily miss the playoffs if they continue playing like this. Time is running out for the Lakers, and it is up to LeBron James and the rest to start winning some games.
