Lakers Fans Disgusted with Loss to Bulls in LeBron James' Return from Foot Injury
The Los Angeles Lakers welcomed LeBron James back from his 13-game absence due to a foot injury by getting their butts kicked.
The Chicago Bulls weren't interested in playing host to the "Welcome Back" party for James, beating up on the Lakers 118-108 on Sunday.
Zach LaVine led the way for Chicago, putting up 32 points.
James played well in his return, recording 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 6-of-11 shooting from the field in 30 minutes off the bench.
But Anthony Davis had a quiet game (15 points, nine rebounds, five assists) and took fewer field-goal attempts (eight) than five of his teammates.
It wasn't the sort of performance the Lakers needed from their star big man. And in general, Lakers fans and NBA Twitter didn't take it easy on the team following a sloppy loss that saw the team turn the ball over 18 times:
How bad was it for the Lakers on Sunday?
Former Lakers guard Patrick Beverley hit James with the "too small" hand gesture:
Ouch.
This could end up being a costly loss for the Lakers. The team dropped to 37-38 on the season and now sits in ninth place, narrowly holding onto a play-in tournament spot.
The most important thing is getting James back, and he played well in his return. But Sunday's matchup at home against the Bulls (36-38) is the sort of game that the Lakers need to win to guarantee either an automatic playoff berth or a play-in tournament spot.
They certainly didn't look the part of a postseason contender against the Bulls.
