On January 31, Beijing time, the Lakers lost to the Hawks 122-138 away, with a record of 24 wins and 25 losses, and the winning rate fell below 50% again. James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. With 12 seconds left in the game, James turned pale and chose to leave the court early and walked to the players' tunnel. James didn't stay on the sidelines to hug or shake hands with his opponent as is customary, and he was clearly unhappy with the outcome.
In this game, Dejounte Murray and the Lakers in the trade scandal played against him, and Murray showed his value, he scored 24 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, 11 of 19 shots, and made two free throws, with a plus/minus of +19, which was tied for the first place in the game.
Murray didn't make any three-pointers but showed great mid-range shooting, hitting 8-of-10 shots and missing just two. Murray and Trae Young teamed up to hit the Lakers hard, and the two combined for 22 assists. The whole Eagles team blossomed more, and 7 people scored double-doubles.
The Hawks scored 138 points in this game, and the Lakers have conceded more than 130 points in four consecutive games, and the team's defense has completely collapsed. Lakers coach Darvin Ham is reluctant to put the in-form Vanderbilt back into the starting lineup, even if Vanderbilt and James have worked very well together in the past few games. In this game, Vanderbilt made all 6 shots and scored 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Prince, who started the game, had only 7 points and 2 rebounds, and his plus/minus was the worst of the game at -18.
Coach Ham's lineup was questioned again, the last game the Lakers were beaten by the Rockets, and the players' athleticism and height could not match the Rockets, which was related to Ham's insistence on using Russell, Reaves, and Prince to partner with James Mei to start. Prince is only 1.98m and plays more like a flanker than a big man.
The Lakers' defense became a big problem, with the Lakers conceding 132 points against the Bulls, 144 against the Warriors, 135 against the Rockets, and 138 points against the Hawks. James said after the game on whether the team was ready enough energy: "Sometimes there is, sometimes there is none. Our record (24-25) shows that. We can beat any team on any given night, and we can be beaten by any team. ”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham is again doing nothing in the game, and some pundits believe it's time for Ham to step down. Celebrity Skipp Vélez said: "Ham is going to be fired soon. But I don't think he should be fired, he did a great job last season. But LeBron and the Lakers have given up on him. They did much better today than they had on the previous two nights. ”
The Lakers are in an awkward situation, the team's win rate has been fluctuating around 50%, and it is impossible to challenge for a championship. The Lakers have to make a trade, or make a change of coach. The Lakers are interested in Dejounte Murray, but are only willing to sell Russell and not use Reaves as a trade chip.
The Hawks wanted Reaves, not Russell, and trade talks stalled for the time being. Time is running out for the Lakers, and they must make a decision as soon as possible. In this battle, Murray pierced the Lakers with a precise shot.