Darvin Ham Ripped by NBA Fans After LeBron, Lakers Lose to Kings as Fox Drops 44
Things looked to be going smoothly for the Los Angeles Lakers in Wednesday night's game against the Sacramento Kings when they jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first quarter, but everything quickly fell apart.
The Lakers ended up suffering a 130-120 loss to the Kings on their home floor following a 44-point outburst by De'Aaron Fox, but also thanks in large part to some questionable coaching decisions by Darvin Ham.
Sacramento outscored Los Angeles 44-20 in the second quarter to quickly erase their deficit. Ham frequently chose not to call a timeout to stop the Kings from making a run. The Lakers trailed by as many as 22 points in the third quarter, but once again Ham didn't do much to stop the bleeding. Los Angeles never cut the lead to single digits in the entire second half.
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To make matters worse for the Lakers, star forward LeBron James tweaked his ankle and left the game with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter. He led the team with 31 points and 13 assists, but once again his individual brilliance wasn't enough for a victory.
Lakers fans didn't hold back their frustrations with Ham after Wednesday's disappointing loss:
Ham took over the Lakers prior to last season for the first head coaching position of his career, but he's yet to prove that he can consistently lead the team. Los Angeles' success has been due to the star power of James and Anthony Davis, so it's fair to wonder if Ham has made any impact on the team during his tenure.
Perhaps the Lakers job is just too much to handle for a first-time head coach. With James nearing the twilight of his legendary career, there is a ton of pressure to compete for an NBA title. Under Ham, Los Angeles is lucky to be in contention for a spot in the play-in tournament.
The Lakers will try to bounce back on Friday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom Ham served as an assistant before being hired in Los Angeles.
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