The Lakers suffered a crushing defeat, with James being injured multiple times and losing to the Spurs, who are the bottom of the West. The game looked like a disgrace for the Lakers, who lost to a team at the bottom of the table. Moreover, it was also the first time James had lost a game against a top-ranked team, having previously won five games in a row. Not only that, but the Spurs also ended the longest losing streak in Lakers history with 18 losses.
However, the match was not without its highlights. Although the Lakers were riddled with injuries and missed key players such as Bushy Eyebrow, Russell, Reddish and Vincent, James returned and led the team to the game. The Lakers only have 11 players available, including three players on two-way contracts.
In the first quarter of the game, the Lakers were blown up by the Spurs on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, ending with a huge 20-point deficit at 22-42. James contributed six points and one steal in the first quarter, and one of the steals surprised fans with a counter-attack dunk after one of the steals. In the second quarter, after the Lakers trailed by 25 points, James led the team to a crazy comeback.
Teammates such as Hachimura and Reaves played well, and the Lakers went on a 14-2 run to tie the score to 13 points. However, James was caught in the eye by his opponent Collins while attacking, and he fell to the ground in pain, but the referee only ruled that it was a normal foul. After an inspection, James returned to the court and hit a three-pointer from the outside, completing an open cut dunk and a three-pointer under Wemban's defense.
During this period, James was once again swept away by Wemban, but he scored 12 points and nine assists in a single quarter to lead the team back to a 13-point deficit at 40-27, and the Lakers ended the first half with only a seven-point deficit.
And James was even better in the first half, scoring 18 points, nine assists and six rebounds on 5-of-11 shooting, and despite being shot in the eye twice, he still led the team to a continuous comeback. In the second half, James focused on organizing the game at the beginning of the third quarter, but the Lakers lacked offensive firepower and quickly fell behind to 16 points.
The Lakers fell behind by a wide margin, and James was accidentally injured by Hachimura while fighting for a rebound, and was hit in the left eye and nose, falling to the ground in pain again and bleeding. James was off the court for a check-in, and during that time, Reaves hit back-to-back three-pointers to stabilize the situation for the team.
James then returned to the court and dunked easily with a steal, but the Lakers still trailed by 11 points at the end of the third quarter. At the beginning of the final quarter, James once dunked on a backhand, but the Spurs went on a 9-2 run to extend the Lakers' deficit to 16 points. Despite James' frequent assists, the Spurs held the lead.
With 5 minutes and 29 seconds left in the game, the Lakers were already trailing by 20 points, and James reluctantly conceded early defeat. The game was a milestone tragedy for James. Despite the fact that the Lakers suffered a crushing defeat in this game and James was injured multiple times, his persistence and hard work deserve our appreciation.
Even in the face of difficulties, James still led the team to fight back, and his performance in the game cannot be ignored. Whether on the offensive and defensive ends or in the playmaking, James has shown his strength and leadership as a superstar. Although the game was not successful, it was also a valuable experience for the Lakers and James.
With injuries in the team, they need to be more united and fight to achieve better results in the upcoming games. No matter what the odds are, we believe James and the Lakers will be able to overcome them and move on. James' assists have once again shone brightly, setting a number of records.
In his most recent game, he dished out nine assists in the second quarter, tying his record of nine assists in the first quarter against the Pacers 13 years ago. This performance once again showed his excellent organisational skills on the pitch. It is worth mentioning that this is also the 53rd time of James' career that he has at least nine assists in a half, and he is tied with the top 20 players in history for ninth place.
Surprisingly, James is the only non-defender player to make it to this list. In addition to this, James's all-round performance cannot be ignored. He has reached the 145th career record of at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in a half, a record he has led since 2000.
Westbrook and Jokic have achieved this feat 115 and 86 times, respectively, but both trailed James. In addition, James' record of 1,174 consecutive scoring double-doubles continues to be broken. He became the first player in history to achieve this feat. This record shows his consistency and staying power on the scoring end.
In the end, James set a new assist high this season in this game. He delivered precise passes and helped his teammates score. Overall, James' performance in assists has been amazing. He has the all-time best assist stats for quarters, halves, and games, and is the most assists among non-defenders.
His playmaking skills and basketball intelligence are undoubtedly his shining points on the court. For the fans, this performance makes it possible to expect him to continue to provide more wonderful assists in future games.