Before this game, the Lakers had just lost to the 76ers at home, and this game against the Pelicans was very important for the Lakers and James. On the one hand, if nothing else, James will have two career milestones in this game. On the other hand, this game will be a crucial card battle, and since the winning gap between the two teams is very close, the losing side will be directly in tenth place in the West. All in all, it's a game the Lakers can't afford to lose.
In the first quarter of the game, the United States Lakers were already in full swing, playing a strong start of 13:2 and entering the second quarter with an eight-point lead. In the second quarter, the Lakers were still in hot form, playing a 29-9 offensive frenzy under James's consecutive scores, once leading the point difference to 23 points and 20 points at the end of the half. Yi Bian fought again, and in the third quarter of the game, the Pelicans' bench will become a Miracle soldier, slashing 16 points in eight minutes to help the team narrow the point difference to 4 points. In the final quarter, the Lakers were suppressed by the opponent at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and finally lost to the opponent 108:116, losing the key card position battle.
Despite the Lakers' loss, James reached two major career milestones. James played 42 minutes in this game, shooting 13 of 14 of 27 three-pointers, in addition to 6 free throws and 4 of 6 free throws, cutting 39 points and cutting down a comprehensive stat of 9 rebounds and 5 assists. In the second quarter of the game, as James hit a three-pointer, James's career total exceeded 37,000 points, becoming the youngest player in history to achieve this achievement. In addition, in the fourth quarter, James officially surpassed Malone in the number of career regular season sports goals and rose to second place in history.
In the first quarter of this game, James was already full of firepower, and he shot 4 of 7 in a single quarter, including 11 points and 3 rebounds on 4-of-4 three-pointers, helping the team establish a lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter, although James sprained his ankle during a basket fight, after a short period of treatment back on the field, James was still in hot shape. After returning, James significantly reduced his breakthrough and began to deliver shells on the outside instead, while he also scored 14 points and 3 assists on 4-of-5 three-point shooting in this quarter, including two consecutive killer ultra-far three-pointers to help the team play a 29-9 offensive climax.
In the third quarter of the game, the game suddenly changed, but James's performance was still stable, with 3 of 6 shots in the single quarter, and he got 4 free throw opportunities to cut 10 points. Under the Pelicans' crazy counterattack, it is fortunate to have James's performance, so that the Lakers will not be completed by the opponent in this quarter. But by the time of the final quarter, James was clearly affected by an ankle injury and a drop in physical strength, shooting just 2 of 8 in the 11 minutes of the quarter, including only 4 points from 3 three-point range. In the end, the Lakers were also completed by the opponent to complete a 23-point reversal, and James's "milestone" also became "mileage sad".
Throughout the game, the reason why the Lakers lost the game after the final reversal was due to the following points. First of all, the main reason is that the other players of the Lakers are too dependent on James. In the first half of the game, because James's form was too hot, he had already scored 25 points at halftime, and under his leadership, the Lakers also played an excellent performance all the way, establishing a 20-point lead. In the second half of the game, in the case of James's decline due to an ankle injury, the Lakers did not have other players who could stand up and save the team.
Especially in the fourth quarter of the game, the Lakers scored only 14 points on only 6 of 21 shooting. In this game, in addition to James scoring 39 points, the Lakers' other players who scored in double figures were only 18 points from Westbrook and 23 points from Munch, who came off the bench. When James didn't perform well, the problems of the other Lakers players were also exposed to the greatest extent. Secondly, although James has given everything he has in this battle, he also has to take some responsibility for the loss of this game. Although injuries made James's very different performances in the first and second halves excusable, James' playing iron in the final quarter also led to the team's loss to some extent.
In the fourth quarter of the game, James only shot 2 of 8 in a single quarter, including only 4 and 0 in the most critical moments. In addition, James was also blown a fatal interference ball at the last moment, and from that ball, the Lakers were completely gone. In the end, the characteristics of their "three collapses of the lake" were once again vividly displayed in this battle. In this game, they established a 23-point lead in the first half and could win by holding on to the second half, but from the third quarter onwards, they collapsed again, and this is not the first time this season has happened. Among them, the physical weakness of the elderly is an important reason.
Although the Lakers' losses this season have become commonplace for fans, losing this game is no small thing for them. Before this game, the Lakers were still in the ninth position in the West, 0.5 wins ahead of the Pelicans behind them, and as long as they win this game, they can further extend the lead and lay the foundation for the final ranking. But in the end, they were reversed by the opponent with a 23-point lead, which was overtaken by the Pelicans and fell to tenth place in the West. Not only is this 0.5 wins apart for the Pelicans at the moment, but there is also a risk of further decline in the rankings, after all, the team behind them and their gap is not large.
In addition to the loss of this game, James's injury also left a great hidden danger for the Lakers. Although he finally insisted on playing the whole game, it could be seen from the field that the ankle injury had a great impact on him, and he also said that he had a tingling sensation in his leg and would receive further treatment after the game. With only 7 games left in the regular season, they will have to face the Western Conference powerhouses of the Lone Rangers, Jazz and Suns, and will play against the Pelicans again, and the situation is really not optimistic for them.