After a 3-0 start this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have dropped their last two games in a row. Tonight, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the final score (134-110) wasn’t even close after an onslaught by the Cavs backcourt overwhelmed the Lakers’ defense.
On social media, the fans were noticeably nervous after the loss and some have taken to question whether the team’s hot start was more of a fluke than a sign of things to come. This matchup certainly was not a good look for the Purple and Gold and it’s becoming evident they need to make more moves to salvage the season.
“We have the worst perimeter defense lol nobody can move their feet,” said a fan on X. “And it’s scary how mid our bench is.”
The game began with a 42-point first quarter for the Cavaliers, a lead which they held for the rest of the way. LeBron James led all scorers in the game with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 69.2% shooting while Anthony Davis continued his streak of excellent games with 22 points 9-17 FG), 13 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Dalton Knecht contributed 18 points off the bench and shot 6-12 from the field with two three-pointers. But other than Dalton and the two stars, no Lakers player scored above 10 points. As a team, the Lakers committed a season-high 20 turnovers and that was a point of focus in the criticism from the fans.
“These turnovers are as careless as can be,” wrote Lakers Nation on X.
On the other side, the Cleveland Cavaliers move to 5-0 on the season thanks to 25 points from Evan Mobley who went 12-16 from the field on Wednesday night. Donovan Mitchell was right behind him with 24 points and 7 assists on 10-20 shooting. But it was Jarrett Allen who had arguably the most impressive game of all with 20 points and 17 rebounds in 30 minutes. The Lakers just had no answers to his play on the inside.
“We need shooters and a big man,” wrote one disgruntled Lakers fan. “Please do something!”
The only thing that really went right for the Lakers was the run time for Bronny James, who was able to see some playing time in the closing minutes and score his first NBA bucket. He only finished 2 points and 2 assists but it’s an important milestone for the young NBA point guard and it happened in the same place that it happened for his father over 20 years ago.
“The fact that he did it back here in Cleveland was cool,” said Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
The first three games of the season gave Lakers fans hope that the team was going to be competitive in the West. Certainly, with healthy stars, a new coach, and a rookie ready to contribute right away, the Lakers have reasons to believe in their chance for a better future.
But tonight the same old problems reared their heads for the Purple and Gold: questionable depth and inconsistency from the role-players. With Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura prone to fluctuate so frequently it’s hard for the Lakers to string together long winning streaks.
The hope is that, with time, someone will step up and become a more consistent and reliable scorer for the Lakers so their success isn’t so dependent on the performance of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If not, maybe JJ Redick has a plan to help lighten the load.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
