At 39 years old, LeBron James continues to excel on the hardwood and make a mockery of Father Time. Perhaps that’s why the King is only enhancing his competitive fire amidst a surprisingly strong start for the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
The 10-5 Lakers entered Thursday night’s home game against the Orlando Magic riding a six-game winning streak, but Los Angeles suffered a heartbreaking 119-118 defeat to a formidable Eastern Conference foe. The loss came despite James‘ near triple-double — he racked up 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in 37 minutes. So how did this one get away from the Lakers?
LeBron cites bad effort against Orlando
After building a 67-60 halftime advantage, the Lakers ceded the initiative to the Magic — who entered the game on their own six-game winning run — and trailed going into the final quarter. James told reporters after the game that this where the Lakers lost: their effort did not match the talent level.
“What we did in the third quarter, we were outscored 29-21. We came out, lost the lead, had a seven-point lead at halftime and they took the lead in third,” James said. “There are a lot of games within the game. You can’t just point to one thing. You have your opportunity at the free-throw line. We didn’t capitalize but we move on from that.”
It’s not the first time this season that James — or head coach J.J. Redick — has bemoaned the Lakers’ inattention to the details. Due to their strong start, Los Angeles is starting to gain momentum as a possible championship contender — and if LeBron has a chance to win a fifth ring before he brings down the curtain on his historic career, he will do whatever it takes to secure one more title.
Despite LeBron’s disappointment on Thursday night, James and the Lakers are still in a good position amidst fierce competition in the Western Conference. Though LA‘s six-game winning streak has ended, the Lakers are just a half-game behind the Houston Rockets for third in the West and only 1.5 games away from being the top seed. The message is clear: the effort and defense must improve while LeBron can still pull off exceptional feats on the basketball court.