On December 29, Beijing time, the Lakers defeated the Rockets 132-123 in the NBA regular season, and finally stopped the decline of 5 consecutive losses. In the last moments of this campaign, Lakers fans finally saw the connection between James and Westbrook, and it was also a successful connection for 3 consecutive times, allowing the Lakers to finally defend the victory. After locking up the victory, the Lakers players were also rejoicing, but this scene, when you think about it, is lamentable.
In the final stage, Westbrook and James blocked and dismantled three times in a row, and James scored three consecutive points, and the Lakers instantly scored 6 points to seal the victory. At this point, Both Westbrook and James were very excited because they knew the victory was in hand. Subsequently, Westbrook and his teammates celebrated passionately, and James also grinned after the game, and the Lakers were surrounded by the joy of victory. Just, beating the penultimate number one in the West, do the Lakers need to be so excited?
For the Lakers, they traded westbrook before the start of the season, forming a big three on paper, with the aim of impacting the championship. But after more than two months of experimentation, it looks like the deal has failed. Coupled with Davis' injury and Howard and Jordan Jr.'s poor form, the Lakers lineup has become very deformed. Prior to this, the Lakers had suffered a five-game losing streak, and James was also on the top of the center position.
Today, although the Lakers have ended the decline of 5 consecutive losses, they have not completely crawled out of the big pit. Because the Rockets are the penultimate team in the West after all, winning it is what the Lakers should do. The truth is that although the Lakers won, the process was very difficult. Winning the victory is certainly gratifying to them, but after calming down, the Lakers need to reflect on why they will play so hard in the face of a weak Rocket.
Next, the Lakers will face opponents who are stronger than the Rockets, namely the Grizzlies (who just beat the Suns), the Blazers (about to return to CJ), and the Timberwolves. In these games, the opponent is not the top of the league, but if you look at it according to the level of the Lakers in this game, they do not have the certainty of victory. All in all, the Lakers need to put themselves in a lower position and fight for every victory.