The Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday night. LeBron James showed up and showed out. The last few games of the season are “must win” games for the Lakers if they hope to get into the playoff mix. Even then, winning out the season might not be enough. Despite that, LeBron James remains undaunted and committed to finishing the season strong.
The Lakers suffer from being one of the oldest rosters in the league. Additionally, Anthony Davis is consistently hit with injuries. When Davis is on the court, he is tremendous, and the Lakers usually win. The trouble is, he is hardly on the court. LeBron can’t put up 56 points every game.
The Lakers bench scored 22 of their 124 points. In contrast, the Warriors bench scored 55 points. Starters Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney were barely present. In fact, Looney only played 13 minutes. Thompson is still suffering thru the lingering effects of his past injuries. Overall, the Warriors have managed to only win three of their last ten games. Draymond Green’s injury has hampered the team tremendously. The Warriors had to show that they could find a way to win despite losing one of their core players. They failed. The Warriors are in the playoffs, but if they hope to have a shot at a deep run, they need all their core players healthy and ready to play.
LeBron James was in rare form on Saturday night. His 39 minutes netted 56 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. He led his team. He kept them jazzed with a couple of spectacular dunks. His back-to-back three pointers late in the fourth quarter juiced the team further. His play challenged his teammates to step up. He even took the time to lean down to Super Bowl winning Quarterback Matthew Stafford to tell him that he had to put on a show since Stafford was in the house. At 37 years old, LeBron still has it. He can still play at a high level. On Saturday night he willed his team to a must win against the 2nd best team in the West. Lakers fans hope he wills their team back to the playoffs.
