In an NBA game that ended today, the Lakers lost to the Hawks 122-138, the thick eyebrows were absent, there was basically no suspense in the game process, the Hawks led by 7 points in the first quarter, and the difference in the second quarter came to double digits, and the Lakers' outside shooting rate rebounded in the third quarter, but they couldn't prevent the Hawks from scoring, the Lakers fought back tenaciously but the score difference did not narrow, and the Hawks' shooting rate remained high in the final quarter, and the Lakers could only accept the fate of losing. In terms of statistics, James had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 turnovers, Reaves had 28 points, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers, Russell had 9 points, 5 assists and 2 turnovers, Hachimura had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, and Vanderbilt had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
After this game, the Lakers were in a bit of a bad situation, they suffered 2 consecutive defeats, the good news is that the Jazz also lost, so the Lakers are still ranked 9th in the West, but the Warriors beat the 76ers, so the gap between the two sides is only 15 games, it can be seen that the Lakers' top ten position is not stable. Of course, you have to find the reason for losing, and the Lakers mainly exposed four problems throughout the game, first of all, the outside line was seriously inaccurate, the three-point shooting rate in the first half was only 15%, a new low record this season, and it was not until the second half that the Lakers' outside firepower picked up. Secondly, because of the absence of Brother Thick Mei, the Lakers lost a lot of rebounds, and Capela grabbed 5 frontcourt boards alone, which is almost equivalent to the entire Lakers team.
The third reason for losing, the Lakers' defense is terrible, there is no way to take Trae Young in the first three quarters, Ham is very stubborn in employing people, insisting on letting Russell and Reeves start at the same time, Lakers fans know that Russell has no defense at all, and Reeves can't be prevented by anyone, just imagine, if Van der Biao replaces Reeves in the starting lineup, the Lakers' defense will definitely improve by two levels, Reeves seems to have very good data in this game, but in fact, how many points he scored, how many points Trae Young can get back from him, It belongs to killing 800 enemies and losing 1,000 self-losses. In addition to Trae Young, another Hawks guard Dejounte Murray also ushered in a breakout, with 24 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, and he was extremely efficient on 11-of-19 shooting.
Murray scored a fatal score every time, especially in the middle of the final quarter, when the Lakers were approaching the point difference, Murray suddenly broke out and scored 6 points in a row, during which Reaves was blown up, the Lakers did not give up the game, and still wanted to chase points, but the result was Murray, God went down to the basket to respond, and then Ham ran out of line and directly changed to the bench lineup. Murray is the player the Lakers have always wanted, the management hopes to use Russell as a bargaining chip, compared to the two, Murray scores more consistently, and the defense is far above Russell, but the Hawks are quite resolute, they don't want Russell, and after this game, the Lakers want to trade Russell Murray is probably unrealistic, and can only change the strategy, such as pulling in a third-party team.
Russell is unstable, the defense is easy to target, Murray has height, fast speed, stable offense, strong defense, if the Lakers can get him, the strength will definitely be greatly improved, in the words of commentator Yang Yi, Russell is not impossible, but he and Reeves must go one, so the Lakers management should recognize the reality, Reeves is really not a sweetheart, and it is okay to exchange him. The final reason for the loss, two overtime games with the Warriors, lost to the Rockets before, and back-to-back against the Hawks today, James obviously couldn't keep up with his physical strength, in the third quarter, James gasped for breath during the timeout, maybe from another point of view, James should take turns off today, there is no need to fight.
James was interviewed after the game, and he said this when talking about the loss: "We can beat any team any night, we can be blown up by any team, when AD (Brother Thick Eyebrows) is on the floor, he will be in the team's third line of defense to protect the basket, when he is not on the court, we have to keep communicating, we need more people to step up and score, to participate in defense," these words are easy to understand, James believes that Brother Thick Eyebrows is absent, which has caused problems in the Lakers' defense, and no one can stand up and score more, There is undoubtedly a hint of Russell or Reaves, which is equivalent to putting pressure on Pelinka, and the Lakers should make a trade, Russell and Reaves have a similar style of play, they are both unstable, and they don't defend, at least one has to be sent away.
It is conceivable that if the current lineup is retained, with Ham's stubbornness, Russell and Reaves will have to continue to start, so that the Lakers' season prospects are worrying, even if they can enter the playoffs, the Lakers' guard line defense is easy to lag behind, just like last year's Western finals, the Nuggets' Murray went berserk, and moreover, if the Lakers lineup remains unchanged, wait until the end of the trade deadline, Russell feels stable, and he will not leave anyway, and he may continue to slump. Finally, James also talked about the reasons for his back-to-back, Lao Zhan said: "When I am fit enough to play, I will try to play at a high level, help my teammates play well, improve efficiency, whether the game is won or lost, I am happy with my attitude. ”