The Los Angeles Lakers seemingly saw the light at the end of the tunnel this week after they entered a 2-game winning streak, showing a different face and playing better against strong rivals. Russell Westbrook coming off the bench has been a big change for the Purple and Gold, who are ready to start something good now.
However, when they tried to make it 3 straight wins, the Utah Jazz told otherwise, despite another good performance by Westbrook. LeBron James is dealing with a stomach virus, too, so the Lakers were undermanned while facing the surprising Jazz that are posting a terrific record right now.
LeBron wasn’t happy with the development of the game and after the game was over, voiced his frustrations with the team, pointing out where they should have been better to get a win.
LeBron James Wasn’t Happy Lakers Defense After Loss To Jazz
Bron didn’t like the way the team defended against the Jazz and called them out for not keeping the intensity on the defensive end during the entire game, which ultimately granted them their sixth loss of the season.
"If we defend, we're going to give ourselves a better chance to win." LeBron James speaks to the media after the #Lakers loss to the Jazz. pic.twitter.com/gwDDXdr8O6
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 5, 2022
“We don’t never want it to happen, but there are some games throughout the course of an 82-game season where you obviously just don’t have it defensively. And we didn’t have it for 48 minutes. We had it in spurts. But, we know in order for us to win, we’ve gotta defend. And, tonight, I think we had a 50-40-90 offensive night, and we still lost. So, that’s why I was talking earlier in the season about ‘it’s not about the offense, we have to defend.’ Obviously, we gotta make shots, but if we defend, we’re gonna give ourselves a better chance to win,” LeBron said.
LeBron has also been criticized for his recent performances, with fans suggesting that he’s finally slowing down after 20 years of playing at the highest level. We’ll have to wait to see if this is the beginning of the end for the King, or if this is something that will get better once his unknown illness is cured.
The Lakers face the 7-1 Cleveland Cavaliers today, trying to win their 3rd game of the season against one of the best teams in the league. If they do it, that will certainly boost their chances to compete for big things in this campaign.
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