SUMMARY
- The Lakers were brutally defeated by the Kings 130-120.
- LeBron James recorded 31 points despite fighting through an ankle injury.
LeBron James has great importance in the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster but his efforts weren’t enough to close out their recent game. The Lakers hosted the Sacramento Kings at the Crypto.com Arena and despite a strong start, they let their opponents snag a dominant win. Multiple things went wrong during the game for the Lakers which will have to be corrected in future games. The game capped off at 130-120 at the end of four quarters.
Darvin Ham really let the Kings go on a 10-0 run and DIDN’T call a timeout.
Unbelievable man! EVERY SINGLE GAME pic.twitter.com/YBKiowirBu
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) March 7, 2024
James finished off with an incredible stat line of 31 points and 14 assists. However, the Kings were able to make last-minute adjustments to counter the Lakers’ defenses in the first quarter. Ultimately, it was De’Aaron Fox who led the Kings’ scoring 44 points. He was backed up by Domantas Sabonis’ triple-double of 16 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists along with 2 steals.
LeBron James’ monster double-double ended due to a lingering ankle issue
LeBron James remained consistent throughout the Lakers vs. Kings matchup and he even played the third quarter in its entirety. However, the 20x NBA All-Star experienced slight discomfort in his ankle during the fourth quarter which did not allow him to play as much in the final minutes.
“It’s just my ankle, what I’ve been dealing with before the break, after the break. I’m just managing the best that I can.” LeBron James on his injury late in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/55XjyZaboQ
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 7, 2024
He addressed it during a locker room interview saying, “It’s just my ankle, what I’ve been dealing with before the break, after the break. I’m just managing the best that I can.” For those who aren’t aware, James has been dealing with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy.
He has been dealing with this issue since before the 2024 NBA All-Star break and followed through the start of the second half of the season. James was listed as questionable ahead of the Kings matchup, but he was eventually allowed to play against them.
LeBron James broke down the Lakers failed defensive schemes
It was noticeable that the Lakers struggled to maintain their defenses following the first quarter. Unfortunately, their lack of defense allowed the Kings to accumulate 70 points within the paint. LeBron James highlighted the issue while speaking to the media following the game. He believes that it was after Anthony Davis got into foul trouble that the Lakers fumbled on defense.
“It [defense] evaporated with AD picked up his second [foul]. It’s simple, you have someone like that who controls so much of our defense. [So] when he picked up his second in the first quarter and we had to make the sub, our defense kind of just flubbered,” said James. Fans are blaming Darvin Ham for not making the right adjustments during the game. Fans have flooded the internet with “Fire Ham” posts everywhere.