Holiday showcase exposes Lakers as less gifted team
LOS ANGELES — NBA teams, like almost everyone, try to look their best on the holidays.
That proved to be an especially tough proposition this year, with the omicron wave ravaging rosters from coast to coast and leaving top contenders struggling to fill their lineups. Even with expectations plummeting in the lead-up to the NBA’S annual Christmas Day showcase, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks and Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors rose to the occasion.
Both the Bucks and Warriors claimed statement wins Saturday, using their nationally televised stage to make convincing cases that they belong among the NBA’S top contenders. The same couldn’t be said for Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who lost 122-115 to the Brooklyn Nets at the newly christened Crypto.com Arena in a contest that felt hollow without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who didn’t make the trip because they were stuck in the protocols, and an injured Anthony Davis.
James, clad in a sparkling white jersey and golden sneakers, tried to put his best foot forward individually, finishing with a game-high 39 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while trying to carry a patchwork supporting cast. But the depleted Lakers couldn’t keep up with the Nets, who received a big boost from James Harden, who cleared the NBA’S health and safety protocols Friday and notched a teamhigh 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. While the Bucks, 117-113 winners over the Boston Celtics, and the Warriors, who beat the Phoenix Suns, 116-107, both looked as if they will be ready for big things come April, the Lakers merely showed how much work they have to do to get into the contender conversation.
There were mistakes
galore for the Lakers, some of which drew groans and occasional boos from the home crowd: Carmelo Anthony shuffled his feet, Russell Westbrook smoked a layup and slipped to the court for an unsightly turnover, and Darren Collison, signed to a 10-day hardship contract Friday, inexplicably fouled three-point shooters on back-to-back possessions in his debut. As the Lakers conceded a 13-2 run to close the third quarter, assistant coach David Fizdale, subbing in for Frank Vogel — who is in the protocols — swiped his whiteboard in frustration. None of this was particularly surprising given that the Lakers, who entered the season as Western Conference favorites, have lost five straight games and fallen into the West’s playin mix with a 16-18 record.
“It’s obviously been difficult throughout this stretch, but that won’t stop me,” James said. “I’m not a very patient person. You’ve got to try to stay evenkeeled. Obviously this losing streak is not something any of us wants. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us.”
In fairness to the Lakers,
they are a collection of strangers right now: Davis, their frontcourt linchpin, is out for a month, while Austin Reaves, Kent Bazemore and Trevor Ariza are all in the protocols. Collison came off the bench to play 12 minutes in his first NBA action since 2019. Stanley Johnson, another 10-day hardship signing from the G League, logged 27 minutes in his first NBA action since May.
“All our defensive guys are in health and safety protocols,” James lamented before Christmas, an assessment that proved accurate. Los Angeles’ replacements had no answer for Harden or Patty Mills, who added 34 points, including eight three-pointers, in the win.
Christmas tends to be a time to swap stories about summer adventures, but the Lakers would just as soon not discuss their offseason to forget. With 34 games played, Westbrook, who finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists but shot just 4 for 20, has yet to find a fit or make Lakers fans forget about the many players who departed to make room for him this summer.
As the Nets racked up 38 points in the first quarter, largely on the strength of their backcourt play, the Lakers surely could have used Alex Caruso, who has been a standout since he signed with the Chicago Bulls, or Kentavious Caldwell-pope, who was shipped to the Washington Wizards in the Westbrook deal.
“No disrespect,” former NBA player Michael Beasley wrote on Twitter as the Nets built a 23-point second-half lead. “Y’all need help.”
Indeed, Los Angeles has needed more glue-guy contributions such as those offered by Mills for Brooklyn, Wesley Matthews for Milwaukee and Otto Porter Jr. for Golden State in their respective wins. In the game’s closing minutes, unheralded Brooklyn big man Nic Claxton finished a lob pass from Harden over James and contested a missed dunk attempt by Westbrook to stave off the Lakers’ final push.
The Lakers outscored the Nets by nine points in James’s 40 minutes but were outscored by 16 points in the eight minutes he was off the court.
“I’m kicking myself in the head because ( James) is giving me incredible effort,” Fizdale said. “I hate that it’s wasted on losses.”
Zooming out, James, who tied Kobe Bryant’s record by making his 16th career appearance on Christmas and surpassed Bryant as the NBA’S all-time leading scorer on the holiday, certainly needs more help if he wants to go further than last year’s firstround exit. But the path to any meaningful roster fix is complicated by Westbrook’s massive contract and a clear lack of highquality trade assets.
The Lakers have stumbled through the first two months despite an easy schedule, and they look ill-prepared for the tougher times ahead. Instead of sparking hopes for a second-half push, the holiday showcase hinted at a dimming outlook for the NBA’S glitziest franchise.