On January 8, Beijing time, "Little Emperor" James once again worked hard to blast the game-high 37 points, as well as 8 rebounds and 7 assists, plus Schroder's contribution in the last 2 seconds to win both free throws, the Lakers thrilling defeated the Kings playing at home 136-134, grabbed 5 consecutive wins, and are currently tied for 11th place in the West with the Timberwolves at 19-21, and are about to return to the ranks of play-offs!
The game formed a leading deadlock from the beginning, although the Lakers had the firepower of James and Schroder, and the Kings started five with a steady offense, and after the first half, the two sides tied 73-73, James scored 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the half, as if to predict the possibility of a triple-double, and the Kings scored 14 points in the halves.
However, the Lakers took the lead in breaking the deadlock at the end of the quarter, relying on James to lead the game to start 11-2, but the Kings immediately responded to a 13-4 tie, and even relied on Fox's last 1-minute jump shot to get 132-130 ahead, but James then made Sabonis 6 fouls and completed a three-point shot to help the Lakers get back ahead by one point.
Then substitute Sabonis Lyles passed the ball out of bounds and gave the ball to the Lakers, and the King had to send Westbrook to the free throw line, and he made 1 of two free throws, and Fox made a tie in the final 7.4 seconds, but Schroder made Fox foul in the last 2 seconds, and the game ended in the middle of Fox's oversized three-pointer.
The Lakers broke 20 for the first time this season, and in addition to James, Thomas Bryant also had 29 points and 14 rebounds, Schroder 27 points, Westbrook 23 points, 15 assists and 5 rebounds.
Despite the victory in the game, the Los Angeles Lakers disappointed LeBron James, who were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the following year after winning the NBA championship in 2020, and instead of getting the team back healthy, they made a trade with Russell Westbrook that ended up messing up.
Now, the Lakers find themselves struggling to enter the Finals race, and James is clearly unhappy with the team's form. Conversely, adding a first-round pick to Westbrook to boost the lineup seems like a worthwhile idea, as James and Anthony Davis clearly have enough talent to compete for a championship.
According to James Piercey, a well-known NBA analyst in the United States, in order to further improve the team's strength and enrich the team's tactical play in order to attack the playoff spots and compete for the championship this season, the Los Angeles Lakers management decided to further recruit in the middle of the season, and the intended object is Kyle Lowry, the point guard of the Miami Heat. But the Heat team Westbrook was not interested, so they brought in the Washington Wizards, who were willing to accept Westbrook. It is reported that the Lakers have sent official offers to the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards respectively. So far, the Lakers have not received an official response from both teams.
According to the famous NBA analyst James Piercey of the US media, the Los Angeles Lakers in order to get Kyle Lowry, the trade chips given are also full of sincerity, sent the team's best sixth man, and sent two first-round picks, which fully shows the sincerity of the Lakers to reach this deal. The specific trade plan given by the Los Angeles Lakers is as follows:
Lakers received: Kyle Lowry, Will Barton, Duncan Robinson, Tygi Gibson
Heat received: Kyle Kuzma, Monte Morris, Kendrick Nunn
Wizards get: Westbrook, Nikola Jovic, 2027 first-round pick (LAL protected top five), 2029 first-round pick (MIA protected top 10)
Why did the Los Angeles Lakers make this deal?
For the Lakers, the deal will allow them to add some players who are perfect for James and Davis. They reportedly became interested in Lowry last year, so it makes sense to add him to the deal. Barton's shooting creativity and Robinson's shooting ability also helped improve the depth of the Lakers.
Why did the Miami Heat agree to make this deal?
The Miami Heat didn't perform as well as they had hoped for in 2022-23. After beating the Phoenix Suns 104-96 on the road, Miami maintains a 21-19 record and is eighth in the East. After pushing the Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals last season, the eighth-place position may not be the end the Heat want.
If the Heat want to get the most out of this season, exploring the trading markets might be their best bet. The team didn't get a lot of great contributions from starting point guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry is averaging 13.4 points, 5.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds this season. In addition, he shot only 40.4% from the field and 34.3% from the inside. The 36-year-old doesn't really earn $28 million in salary, and he'll make another $29 million next season, when he'll be a year older.
With this deal, Miami will improve its short- and long-term outlook. Kuzma and Bam Adebayo would be a great combination up front, and the Heat could sign him later this year. Morris isn't as good as Lowry, but he's much cheaper, and the deal will boost Miami's roster depth. They will also have a pleasant reunion with Nunn, who played his best basketball with the Heat.
Why would the Washington Wizards agree to make this deal?
Westbrook's last great season was with the Wizards, and he seems to get along well with Bradley Beal. Considering that Washington is going all-in on building a competitive team around Beal, trading Westbrook also gets some future draft funding, which seems to be the best of both worlds. He may be the best partner for Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, who has been like an All-Star this year.