Triple for James but Lakers stumble
LOS ANGELES: LeBron James produced a 28-point triple double but it was not enough to prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from sliding to defeat against the lowly Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
A stony-faced James marched quickly off the court at the State Farm Arena following a fourth defeat in five games for the Lakers, who were pummelled by Philadelphia in their previous outing on Sunday.
James’ fifth triple double of the year included 28 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists. However, the Lakers were undone by a determined Hawks line-up which spread the scoring through their ranks to complete a 117-113 win.
“At the end of the day we lost the ball game, I don’t care what I did individually,” James said of his performance.
“I could care less if I’m not winning ball games. That’s what I’m all about. I can throw that game in the trash.”
The Lakers remain outside the playoff places in the Western Conference in 10th spot, and will need to halt their slide in form if they are to mount a charge for the playoffs.
“We didn’t have consistent play in all phases of the game, offensively and defensively,” James told reporters.
Asked about a leaky defence which has conceded an average of nearly 33 points a quarter in recent games, James added: “The numbers speak for themselves. We’ll have to look at that.”
Elsewhere Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors overcame a spirited performance by the Utah Jazz before pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 115-108 win.
“We won the game in the first quarter with our defensive effort,” Curry said. “We set the tone early. We’ve been having terrible starts recently, and we rectified that.”
In Philadelphia, Gordon Hayward delivered 26 points from the bench to spark Boston to a 112-109 victory over the 76ers.
The Celtics are now level with the Sixers with 36 wins against 21 defeats and will take encouragement from a win achieved without Kyrie Irving, who was out with a strained knee.
In Irving’s absence it was left to Hayward to lead the Celtics offense during his 26 minutes on court.