On March 7, 2024, Beijing time, the NBA ushered in a key battle, and the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed the challenge of the Kings at home. The game was very important for both sides, with the Kings sitting in seventh place in the West and the Lakers in ninth place in the West, and the difference between the two records was not huge, and both sides needed a win to consolidate their rankings, and this game also attracted a lot of attention. The Lakers, who were looking for the home court, once made a good start, playing a score of 37-28 in the first quarter, but after entering the second quarter, the Lakers were stunned by the king, and the opponent played a score of 44-20 in a single quarter, trailing the king by as many as 15 points at halftime, and appeared extremely passive.
After the rematch, the two sides launched a battle against each other, and the battle reached 35-32, and the Lakers fell behind by 12 points into the final quarter of the showdown. After the start of the final quarter, the Lakers fell into a scoring drought again, and the Kings played a 14-5 offensive climax, and the difference was quickly stretched to 21 points. Although the Lakers were once close to the score under the leadership of James, in the end, the Lakers still struggled to recover and lost the game 120-130 at home. The Lakers' loss in this game also illustrates three facts!
1.Ham really should have to be replaced, and the Lakers have repeatedly had power outages after playing good offense in this game. In the face of the Kings of equal strength, the Lakers not only did not play their own characteristics, but behaved extremely passively. In the face of difficulties, Hamm's poor on-the-spot adaptability, untimely tactical adjustment, and wrong employment are infinitely magnified. If James hadn't stepped up in time, the game would have been even uglier. In fact, this game is just a microcosm of the Lakers' season, and they have played similar performances many times. As the head coach of the team, Hamm has an unshirkable responsibility, and his coaching ability is indeed questioned!
2.Even though James is 39 years old, he is still the most trusted player on this Lakers team. In today's game, James once again became the most relied on player in the team, helping the team close to the score many times, but it was difficult to beat four hands with two fists, and in the end he was still unable to return to the sky. In the whole game, James played 36 minutes, shot 10 of 16, including 1 of 4 three-pointers, 10 of 10 free throws, and scored 31 points, 5 rebounds and 13 assists. Although the team lost, James could walk out of the arena with his head held high!
3.Fox deserves to be the key man in the league, and in the face of the Lakers with strong forward strength, Fox played a supernatural play again today. In the whole game, Fox played 38 minutes, shooting 19 of 31, including 2 of 6 three-pointers and 4 of 5 free throws, and efficiently cut 44 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, dominating the team's offense. Whenever the Lakers hit a counterattack, Fox always stepped up in time and hit key shots repeatedly, leaving opponents in vain. Now Fox has indeed become one of the league's super guards, and his performance is worthy of recognition. The king with Fox is not to be underestimated!
After this game, the Kings also stopped the decline, and the team's record improved to 35-26, continuing to consolidate the seventh place in the West, just 05 wins. After the Lakers lost, the team's record also slipped to 34-30, and the ranking was also overtaken by the Warriors, ranking tenth in the West. For the Lakers, it may be difficult to get out of the playoff play-in zone this season!
How far do you think the Lakers will ultimately be able to go this season?