On January 3, Beijing time, the Lakers narrowly defeated the Timberwolves at home in the NBA regular season 108-103 to win two consecutive wins. James played 39 minutes and had 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Just after his 37th birthday, the first game back was a hard fight, which was a bit overwhelming for James's body, and when the last quarter was suspended, James was panting with both hands on his knees and did not get up for a long time, looking tired enough. Although James' record of 30+ points in seven consecutive games ended, it was a good result to get a win.
Speaking to an interview after the game, James said: "We have played well recently and although we have lost some games, we are still moving in the right direction. It seems that James is still very confident about the future of the Lakers, and the Lakers' poor performance in the new season is an uncontrollable factor. But despite this, the 37-year-old James still tried his best to lead the team forward.
In addition to James' excellent performance, Munch and Anthony also have crucial performances. Munch shot 8-of-14 and hit four three-pointers to record a team-high 22 points. Munch has taken on more offensive responsibility since Davis was injured, averaging 20 points per game in his last five games, shooting 57.4 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from three-point range, 100 percent from the free throw line, and +66 percent from the team with plus-minus.
Veteran Anthony's performance is equally outstanding, this game against the Timberwolves, although he only got 14 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block data, but his plus-minus is the highest +11 in the game. He scored nine points in the final quarter and scored a crucial 3+1 to help the Lakers secure their lead. Regarding Anthony's status, good friend James said: "He will never be too excited, nor too low. He accepted himself and did a good job. I'm happy to have the opportunity to say that I can finally play with him as a teammate for a season. ”
This season, the performance of Munch and Anthony can be said to be a rare surprise in the Lakers' offseason. As one of the team's big three, Wei Shao's life in the Lakers is very difficult, this campaign Wei Shao played 33 minutes although he got 22 points and 5 assists, but he also had 5 fouls and 9 turnovers. So far this season, Westbrook has played three games with at least nine turnovers, ranking first in the league.
The purpose of the Lakers' trade with Laiwei Shao was to reduce James' physical consumption, and as a result, in the 39 minutes of James' appearance in today's game, the Lakers' net efficiency value was +10.8, but in the 9 minutes of James' departure break, the Lakers' net efficiency value plummeted to -31. In the 9 minutes of James' rest, it is Wei Shao who is responsible for leading the team, which shows that the Lakers' deal is obviously a bit of a failure.
However, Wei Shao did not agree with the outside world's opinion of himself, and wei Shao said in an interview after the game: "I do not agree to say that I did not play the ideal game, and my game is not judged by shooting and mistakes." Shooting or not scoring goals is part of the game, and I can allow not to shoot goals, which is no different from other players. I can also make mistakes, and those are all part of the game. But when you watch a basketball game judge the impact, make the right judgment, block the person, grab the rebound, no matter what it is, as long as you make the right judgment, read it correctly, you can become a good player. What do you think about this? Don't shooting and mistakes really define the current Westbrook?