The Lakers lost 108-125 to the Suns, and their season record fell to 15-5 in the first 20 games. LeBron James finished with 10 points and three assists in 31 minutes played. With a little under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Lakers were behind by 88-113 when James hit the three-point shots to make it a 22-point gap at 91-113 before instantly checking out of the game.
NBA veterans Chandler Parsons and DeMarcus Cousins did not appreciate the Lakers letting LeBron James keep his 10-point streak alive instead of focusing on winning. On the latest episode of ‘Run It Back’ with FanDuel, Chandler Parsons initially claimed that James finally looked his age against the Suns. He then criticised the Lakers for not focusing on winning in crunch time.
“I’ve got to be honest. I didn’t like it. And this was the first time in my life I saw an older LeBron James who played and looked like his age. After sitting out the night before against New Orleans, I thought this was the perfect night for him just to go crazy and kind of carry this team to a victory, and Luka went nuts early on. Austin Reaves was struggling, and LeBron James did not look like himself, which is, for me, the first time I’ve ever seen him like that,” said Parsons.
“It was a nice gesture for JJ to continue to keep him in there, and he was definitely hunting for it and was not coming out until he got it. This just felt like the first step on the way out and kind of catering to his legacy instead of focusing on the game. Congrats, but I didn’t love it, and it was obvious what he was doing,” said Parsons in conclusion.
Subsequently, while former NBA veteran Lou Williams was not particularly unhappy with LeBron James’ decision and justified it in a way, former All-Star DeMarcus Cousins voiced his displeasure with James’ decision to focus on keeping his streak alive.
“That’s my question,” exclaimed Cousins when Parsons questioned whether getting 10 points in so many games is even considered an achievement.
“I don’t even think that’s a real thing. I don’t think that’s something Bron is going to be bragging about at the end of his career… He’s way too great to be worried about consecutive 10-point games.”
“There are greater things than having 10 bro, that’s all I’m saying,” said Cousins while belittling James’ streak. “I think he would rather average 20.0 consecutively than worry about having 10 points in every game.”
Cousins believes James should be worried about another record altogether. In his entire NBA career, James has never ended the season averaging less than 20.0 points per game. This season so far, he is averaging 15.2 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 46% from the field. Therefore, he is at risk of ending his 22-season-long streak.
Last night against the Suns, when Austin Reaves struggled and was not getting as many looks as he would have liked (16 points on 12 shots, 50% from the field), Parsons believes it was the perfect time for James to step up and prove his value to the team.
Instead, he looked like a 40-year-old man who was clumsy with the ball and could not shoot efficiently. He had three turnovers in the game and only shot 30% from the field to get his 10 points (3-of-10).
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Lakers were relying on LeBron James to perform well as he sat out the first game against the Pelicans. But instead, they let him chase his streak during crunch time instead of focusing on turning the game around.
Had James not checked out of the game right after hitting the 10-point mark, maybe he would not have faced this criticism for the loss or stat-padding, per se. But just because he stayed in the game precisely long enough to maintain his streak, he raised a few eyebrows around the league.
Everyone who watches basketball knows seven minutes are more than enough to make a miracle comeback from down 22 points. Thus, the Lakers’ checking him out immediately after ensuring his streak is alive left a sour taste in NBA experts’ mouths.
