On March 20, Beijing time, the Lakers once led by 16 points on the road were tragically reversed by the Wizards with a broken lineup, losing 119-127. James had 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in this game, and his career total surpassed Malone to rise to second in history, and he suffered a mileage tragedy. The Lakers lacked adjustments in the final quarter, and Vogel was paranoid about using a small lineup, and being beaten by Porzingis became the number one reason for the loss. In this battle, Vogel and the sluggish Tucker Jr. can be called two major sinners.
James could have had a perfect night, overtaken Malone and won the game, but the last minute failed. James fought hard enough, playing overtime the day before and fighting for 45 minutes. Back-to-back in this game he played 36 minutes, 16 of 29 shooting, 4 of 10 three-pointers, 38 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, Westbrook also did well, he shot 10 of 15, 3 of 3, and played a quasi-triple-double of 22 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.
The Lakers lost in the final quarter, and Vogel couldn't live up to Howard to defend Porzingis and let the latter wreak havoc under the basket, or face a diminutive guard defense in mid-range, scoring with the same ease of jumpers as in training. Porzingis had 27 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, including 18 points in the final quarter. Reeves or Westbrook defended Porzingis and couldn't defend at all.
The Wizards and Big Men all played this battle very well. Garford had 17 points and six rebounds, Avdia had 17 points and four rebounds, and Yamura had 10 points.
Journalist Josiah Johnson posted Boggs' fun image of defending Bradley that year ridiculed the Lakers' use of a small lineup to defend Boshin: "The Lakers are trying to defend Porzingis. ”
Vogel's command was questioned, and post-match discussion about him rushed to the Twitter hot search list.
Another sinner for the Lakers in this battle is Tucker Jr., who is in no state at all, shooting 0 of 5, playing 17 minutes without a point, making 2 turnovers, plus or minus -12. Commentator Su Qun unceremoniously criticized the Lakers coach for lack of adjustments: "In such a game, how many ducks are cooked will fly." ”
The Lakers have not won backgammon, and the last time the team won in a row was in January. This season, the Lakers coaching staff has lost two excellent coaches, Kidd and Hollins, and their on-the-spot adaptability is significantly inferior to the past.