The Lakers faithful are losing faith.
During Friday night’s 130-116 Los Angeles Lakers loss against the visiting Utah Jazz, L.A. fans took to Twitter to bemoan the club’s various shortcomings throughout the contest.
We sifted through the wreckage. Los Angeles certainly is hoping to pick up the pieces today, in an afternoon contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Given that the club is starting three 2022 All-Stars and is currently 7-1, the Lakers have their work cut out for them.
Let’s peruse these tweets:
This was cold, but not inaccurate. During the game, Westbrook had the better night, while it certainly appeared that James was struggled to get air on several looks inside the paint. James had 17 points on just 7-of-19 shooting from the floor (including 0-of-5 from deep), though he did notch 10 boards, eight dimes, and a block. Westbrook was the game’s high scorer. He had 28 points while shooting 9-of-14 from the floor (including 3-of-5 from three-point land), dished out six dimes, grabbed three boards, and swiped two steals.
Westbrook’s two-man game with Anthony Davis has looked pretty strong — at least, when a certain someone isn’t on the floor. Fans noticed.
Westbrook and James have always been an awkward fit together on the hardwood. He and Davis often connected on Friday with The Chosen One off the floor.
Starting Lakers point guard Patrick Beverley, flipped from the Jazz to Los Angeles during the offseason, certainly couldn’t have known that the team he was leaving would look way, way better than the team he’s on now, a club that features three Hall of Famers who remain effective (though one is pretty overpaid). So this one stings:
The Jazz’s fast-paced, pass-happy, three-point-heavy shooting night, centered around the offensive excellence of starting forward Lauri Markkanen (who was positively Dirk Nowitzki-esque), helped them secure the victory. Utah had 20 more field goal attempts (103 total) than Los Angeles (83) on the night. It reminded one L.A. fan of a certain LeBron James NBA Finals opponent:
James certainly did have a T.A.-esque shooting night. To be fair, he continues to grapple with a sore left foot that is clearly affecting him.
Though Lakers All-Star big man Anthony Davis enjoyed a 20-point first half, he went quiet in the second, scoring just two points across the game’s closing two quarters. Meanwhile, several Jazz big men (and let’s throw Markkanen into the mix, who technically is the team’s starting small forward, but he’s a legit seven footer) were cooking all over the floor.
Lakers-Cavaliers tips off at 12:30 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet. Can L.A. turn this ship around on the road, against a much better team? We are skeptical.
