Top Takeaways from LeBron James, Lakers' Loss vs. Rockets
LeBron James recorded a triple-double in his return to the lineup and Russell Westbrook tallied 30 points, one of six Los Angeles Lakers players to score 13 or more on Wednesday night. Sounds like a formula for success, right? Not this time.
Instead, the Lakers' woes continued with a 139-130 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets, which improved to a Western Conference-worst 17-49 with their victory. Meanwhile, Los Angeles dropped to 28-37 with its ninth loss in its past 11 games. The team still hasn't won a road game since Jan. 25, having fallen in its past nine contests away from home.
Once Wednesday's game went to OT, the Rockets took over, scoring the first 13 points of the extra period. Houston went on to put things away, spoiling the return of James, who missed Los Angeles' loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday due to left knee soreness.
Here are some key takeaways from the Lakers' latest setback.
The Closing Minutes of Tight Games Remain a Major Issue
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Even though the Rockets scored 68 points over the first two quarters and were having a terrific shooting night, the Lakers had an opportunity to come away with a win in the fourth.
Westbrook tied the game at 120 on a pull-up jumper with one minute and nine seconds to go, and Los Angeles needed its stars to come through.
Instead, that was the Lakers' final basket of regulation, as they missed all three of their shot attempts in the final minute. That included a missed jumper by Carmelo Anthony at the buzzer, as the veteran forward couldn't hit a deep, open two-point attempt after he received a pass from James.
Los Angeles may not have been in that position if it had gotten a more efficient night from the 37-year-old. He went 9-for-26 in his return, which included shooting 1-for-9 from three-point range. He also went 3-for-12 between the fourth quarter and overtime.
"I didn't feel like I took any bad ones or any bad shots tonight," James told reporters. "It just wasn't falling for me."
When James isn't hitting his shots—especially in the closing minutes—it's tough for the Lakers to win these days. Their only victory over their past seven games was on Sunday, when he dropped 56 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors.
On most nights, Los Angeles has been dropping close games, just like on Wednesday. Of the Lakers' past eight losses, half have been by five or fewer points. And that doesn't include its two most recent defeats against weaker Western Conference opponents.
A team with a roster featuring James, Westbrook and even Anthony shouldn't have trouble knocking down big shots during the most crucial seconds of a game. And yet, the Lakers can't get any of them to close out contests like this, which has contributed to their recent overall struggles.
Perhaps James and/or Westbrook can help Los Angeles solve this issue. But they're quickly running out of time to do so.
This May Have Been These Lakers' Worst Loss Yet
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Considering the Lakers are nine games under .500 when they expected to be a championship contender, they've had their fair share of bad losses during the 2021-22 season. Somehow, these defeats may be getting worse...and may have hit a new low on Wednesday night.
Not only do the Rockets have the worst record in the Western Conference, but they had also lost 13 of 14 games heading into this matchup. Houston is enduring the growing pains of having a young roster, and it has no chance of making it to the playoffs.
Even the Lakers hadn't had trouble with the Rockets this season, having won the first three meetings between the two teams. But this time, Los Angeles couldn't get the job done, a common theme of late.
"It's right there, man," Anthony told reporters. "It's a play here, a play there. It's right there for us to kind of get over this hump."
However, the Lakers need to do so fast. They're still in ninth place in the Western Conference and would be one of the four teams heading to the play-in tournament if the season ended today. But they're only 1.5 games ahead of the 10th-place New Orleans Pelicans and three games in front of the 11th-place Portland Trail Blazers.
So, it's not a guarantee that Los Angeles will extend its season beyond its regular-season finale against the Denver Nuggets on April 10, especially when there are still plenty of challenging games ahead.
Could things possibly get any worse for the Lakers after Wednesday's tough loss? It's hard to imagine they could have a much lower point than this, but they need to do everything possible to get the season on track fast.
