Houston – Triple Photo by LeBron James A high grade effort from Russell Westbrook It wasn’t enough to stop the Lakers’ self-destructive run, as Wednesday’s 139-130 overtime loss to the Rockets was the latest low light in a season filled with them.
“We kind of messed with the game and they had confidence all night,” said Westbrook, who had one of his best games as Lacker with 30 points on 11 of 22 (7 of 8 free throws), eight rebounds, six assists and just one turn. .
When asked for more details, Westbrook said L.A.’s lack of defensive urgency allowed Houston to start rolling.
“We have given up 32 and 36 quarters [in the] He said, “The first and second quarters, which is a large number of points.” So now when [it is] comrades [shooting who are] They don’t usually make 3 seconds or whatever it may be, they’ll make them.”
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Oh boy, did they make it in overtime? The Rockets started the overtime session at round 10-0 and ended up shooting 7 for 8 as a team from the field, including 5 for 5 of 3.
“Caught on fire that extra time,” Lakers striker Carmelo Anthony He said. “everybody.”
Rockets’ Rising Star Galen Green Single-handedly beat Los Angeles 10-7 in overtime until monk owner Hit 3 with 25.7 seconds left and the score is almost all. Green, who scored 32 career points, said stalking Anthony was crucial to his success.
“Our plan was just to attack Milo and find a mismatch on the ground,” Green said. “So when it came, we were looking for Milo and I would attack him every time.”
Los Angeles had a chance to avoid overtime when James drove the left winger toward the hoop with a 120-120 tie and the final seconds ticking, but his pass to Anthony resulted in a 22-foot jump shot that missed the bell.
“He ended up behind the backboard,” said James, who scored 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists in his fifth brace of the season, but fired 9 for 26 on aggregate and 1 for 9 of 3 for five. rotation. “I was a bit lopsided and could have forced the ball to throw, but I wasn’t in a position to feel like I could have a great look. I could have a decent look and feel Milo’s look was a lot better than mine.”
“I saw ‘Bron going to the basket,'” Anthony said. I just wanted to try to understand it. I thought he had a throwing position, but after watching him, replay off the bench, he was a little lopsided. “
By the end, the Lakers had lost for the sixth time in seven games since the All-Star break, this time against a Houston team that came on the night with the worst record in the league. Even with the win over Los Angeles, the Rockets are still 32 games under 0.500.
“They’re going to be competing, playing for the Lakers,” Westbrook said of competitors’ mindsets when they play for L.A., regardless of their record. “You guys see, when they play with the Lakers, people wake up for those games…that’s a thing for them.”
What has been haunting the Lakers lately is the inability to close out tight games. James said it was because there was little margin for error in Los Angeles Anthony Davis With a sprain of the left foot.
“It’s there, man,” said Anthony. “It’s a play here, a play there. There is a right for us to beat this hump.”
James, who returned from a one-game absence with a sore left knee, agreed with Anthony’s assurances that all impending fouls were starting to cumulatively affect the team’s psyche.
“It definitely plays a role and it definitely starts to seep into your mind,” he said.
James shot a 3-for-12 total in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“I didn’t feel like I took any bad shots or any bad shots tonight,” he said. “It wasn’t the case for me.”
Lakers coach Frank Vogel backed James, who was playing for the first time since his superb 56-point effort in a win over the Golden State Warriors last weekend.
“He gives us everything he has,” Vogel said.
New Orleans, Portland and San Antonio — the three teams that fall directly below the Lakers in the standings — all lost on Wednesday as well, so Los Angeles maintained its ninth-place position in the Western Conference, despite dropping nine games to sub-0.500. The first time all season.
James said the standings will have no bearing on how he approaches his last 17 games of the regular season, as long as his knee is good enough to play.
“I’ll probably wear my uniform no matter what,” James said. “No matter if we are nine games under .500 or nine games over .500. It all depends on how [the knee] Feel. So my love for the game and the way I play and dress has nothing to do with records and stuff like that. It’s not just me.”
While James has personally pledged to play, Westbrook said he will take it upon himself to build the team, as things may get bleak.
“Try to make sure everyone is trying to stay connected through all of this stuff,” Westbrook said. “Because there’s a lot going on with us as a team, and it’s easy to spread and not trust each other.”
