The Los Angeles Lakers were completed by the Oklahoma Thunder at home staples Center, they have won 5 of their last 7 games, the only two games they lost were lost to the Thunder without exception, and the Thunder's record this season has only 2 wins and 6 losses, and the two goals won are of course also reverse Lakers. The Lakers' two-game winning streak and three-game winning streak were all terminated by the Thunder, and in addition to the interrupted streak, the Lakers also had some disadvantages, after the absence of forward LeBron James due to abdominal injuries, Anthony Davis not only played tired in recent games, but also came with injury hazards.
Let's take a look at James, who scored 10 consecutive points in the final quarter of the game in his second game against the Houston Rockets, but then he suddenly returned to the players' tunnel and seemed to want to go to the locker room for examination and treatment. But in the players' tunnel, James looked a little distressed, but he then returned to the court and completed a breakthrough layup to score the ball. But ahead of the game against the Thunder, the Lakers officially announced that James was out of the game due to an abdominal injury.
Fans are very concerned about James' injury and the time of his comeback, and in this regard, Jeff Stotts, a sports statistics expert and professional sports trainer, tweeted and disclosed similar injury absences in their website database.
"Regarding LeBron James' injury, the rectus abs (the so-called 6-pack abs), which are the most active muscles when the trunk is bent, also stabilize the pelvis. In the NBA, the average number of missed games with an abdominal strain is 4 games. Stotts wrote.
Some netizens said that James also returned to the court after the injury and completed an explosive breakthrough layup, which the trainer said was a very good phenomenon.
That is to say, James's situation belongs to the relatively mild kind, according to previous reports, the Lakers at the beginning of the season to treat James's injury is very cautious, which is also considered a preventive effect, in addition, this truce can also help James better rest his ankle.
James was injured in the game against the Rockets, and his rest time is calculated after that game, based on about four games a week, James is expected to return next Thursday against the Miami Heat, but considering the strength of the opponents who returned injured, James may also come back in the next game against the Timberwolves (the Heat currently lead the East). Basically, the Lakers' next two tough games against the Portland Trail Blazers and charlotte Hornets still need Westbrook to lead the team.
In addition, the Lakers' other core Anthony Davis also has injury hazards, he stepped on the opponent's foot and sprained his ankle in an offensive attack against the Houston Rockets, when Davis did not start in the second half, but he played against the Thunder.
In a game against the Thunder, Davis suffered another thumb setback in a scramble for an offensive rebound in the first half. As for Davis' situation, Lakers coach Frank Vogel gave the answer in an interview.
Commenting on Anthony Davis' injury, Vogel said: "It's still a thumb sprain, the next game he's in doubt, and there's no more updates beyond that. ”
For the Lakers, the current situation is indeed somewhat difficult, the shortcomings of the team's aging lineup were revealed at the beginning of the season, and Kendrick Nunn and Horton Tucker, who were absent at the beginning, are still relatively young players in the team' lineup, and the players who play more time on the team are generally still around 35 years old.
In addition, the Lakers also exposed a phenomenon that they were overly dependent on James, the Lakers can play a good first half under the leadership of Westbrook and Davis, but as long as the score gap between the two sides is not large, the game is dragged into the fourth quarter, in the absence of James, the Lakers will be difficult to handle. Twice completed by the Thunder, the Lakers have the opportunity to complete their own redemption in the final moments of the game, but unfortunately, they are wasted.
According to espn statistics, so far this season, the Lakers' record in the game with a 19-point lead is temporarily 1 win and 2 losses. In the previous four seasons, their record in such competitions has accumulated to 68 wins and 2 losses.
The two games that lost the 19-point lead have tied their record in the last 25 full seasons. The Lakers had an 11-2 run in the 2016-17 season when they had at least a 19-point lead.
I have to say that in the game with more than 19 points ahead, the winning rate is less than 50%, which is not a good phenomenon in any way, the players did not play well in the last moments, but this is inseparable from the coach, continuously reversed by the Thunder, Vogel's platoon was disintegrated, just like Davis said, the Thunder seemed to have predicted what they would do in the second half.