On March 17, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. The Los Angeles Lakers lost again, this time to playoff rivals the Timberwolves. From the beginning of the game, the Lakers were in a very passive situation. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers trailed by 14 points, and the biggest point difference in the whole game was as high as 25 points. As fans say: The Lakers are as stable as ever, and every game is a hanging. James also played very badly in this game, shooting 8 of 21 from the field, 1 of 8 from three-point range, with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, plus or minus -19.
After losing to the Timberwolves, the Lakers will start a three-game trip to the East, against: Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, these three opponents are not easy to deal with. The Lakers are currently ranked 9th in the West, just one win away from the Pelicans at No. 10. Lakers 4 straight losses? Zhan Huangfa Wei rushed to play the Raptors by 40 points, and Wei Shao dragged his legs in the slump, or fell to the 10th.
Zhan Huangfa Wei rushed to play the Raptors by 40 points
The Lakers' record is terrible, which is a kind of torture for James. At the age of 37, the competitive state is not bad, it should have been the last time to impact the championship, but this is the scene! According to the data website, the last time James's team won 11 games below 50%, it dates back to his rookie season. Recently, there have been many rumors about his return to the Cavaliers, and James needs to play a tougher performance with the Lakers to fight back against these rumors. Losing to the Timberwolves has become a fact, and the next game against the Raptors, Zhan Huang needs to make a threat, impacting 40 points to lead the team to win.
Just today, Zhan Huang's record of scoring more than 20 points in 32 consecutive games came to an end. This season, he averaged 29.5 points per game, third in the league and fourth in his career. Now, before Davis returns, the Lakers' strongest scorer can only be LeBron James.
Wei Shao slump dragged his feet
Last summer, the Lakers replaced The Westbrook with the three main rotations of Pop, Kuzma and Harrell. At that time, many people questioned the deal, and Westbrook and James were not suitable to play together. The result? The 2021-2022 season is almost over, and there is still no tacit understanding between Westbrook and James, or there is no chemical reaction, is this normal? Recently, the Lakers are going all out for a playoff spot, but Westbrook continues to slump, which has seriously dragged the team's hind legs. In the last 10 games, the average per game is: 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists, shooting 40.8%, shooting 8.7% from three-point range and 67.8% from the free throw line.
Earlier, the Lakers reported with a reporter that team insiders wanted Westbrook to serve as a backup point guard, but Vogel refused. Maybe Vogel just didn't want to make the dressing room atmosphere worse, but what about the record?
or fall to 10th
Although James has the ability to hit 40 points, but a team wants to win, it is not enough to rely on one person, others must stand up, but who else can the Lakers expect? Westbrook, Tucker, Munch, Anthony? Let's take a look at the recent situation of the Raptors, who have won a five-game winning streak, beating the Spurs, Suns, Nuggets, Lakers and Clippers. Siakam has averaged in the last eight games: 27.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, shooting 52.2% from the field and 48.3% from three-point range. In addition to Siakam, VanVleet has improved by leaps and bounds this season, averaging 21.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, shooting 39 percent from three-point range. There is also rookie Barnes, who has the strength to compete for the best rookie, so it is very difficult for the Lakers to beat the Raptors on the road.
At present, the Lakers' record is 29 wins and 40 losses, ranking 9th in the West. The Pelicans have Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Valanciunas, and are not weak. After the End of the Lakers' 3-in-a-row trip to the East, it is likely to fall to 10th. Not surprisingly, the Lakers will be fighting for a playoff spot through the playoffs for two consecutive seasons.