LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers lost yet another important game, this time, falling to the New Orleans Pelicans, who sit one seed above them in the Western Conference in 9th. It was a demoralizing win for the Lakers, one that sets them back even further in their quest to secure a playoff spot. But Malik Monk said after the game that he is confident because the Lakers have LeBron James on their squad.
LeBron James was asked about Malik Monk’s comments after the game. He noted that as things stand, with the state of his ‘horrible’ ankle injury, he can’t help the team. But when he is healthy, he does whatever he can to ensure that he and his team win the game. James noted that he was appreciative of Monk’s confidence in him as a player and a leader, and hoped to repay that faith with a possible playoff run (1:22 onwards).
"It's a microcosm of our season." LeBron James on tweaking his ankle in tonight's game and his outlook on the remainder of the #LakeShow's season. @LakersReporter pic.twitter.com/zIGUKcSwZb
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 28, 2022
“When I’m healthy for sure. Right now, obviously I’m pretty banged up with that ankle. I still feel like if I’m on the floor, I can make things happen. Still got a good chance of making something out of this season. Its been a tough road obviously, tonight being a tough loss for us. But to have that confidence in your teammates, sure, means a lot to me, means I’m doing something well when I hit the floor. So I do whatever I can to make us win basketball games.”
LeBron James had a great performance, scoring 39 points en route to becoming only the second player in NBA history to reach 37,000 points in his career. But the Lakers blew a 23-point lead to lose to the Pelicans, and have put themselves in a really difficult position to try and make the NBA playoffs.
NBA fans were not happy with the way the Lakers let a winning performance turn into a losing one, blasting them online for it. Right now, the hope for Lakers fans will be that LeBron James is healthy and that he can play their next game against the Dallas Mavericks, as it is very difficult to imagine this Lakers team winning a game without LeBron.
