LeBron James is seeking his first win with the Los Angeles Lakers a week into the season. The Lakers started 0-3 after losing 143-142 to the San Antonio Spurs in a dramatic overtime game.
OT Thriller
On Monday night in Los Angeles, the Lakers lost a tough one in overtime to the Spurs, which they played without Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram. Head coach Luke Walton emphasized the Lakers were going to run an up-tempo offense this year and the Lakers lived up to the promise by scoring 142 points.
LeBron James dropped 32 points and added 14 rebounds and 8 assists, falling short of a Triple Double. LeBron led the Lakers back from an 18-point deficit and drilled a three-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining to force overtime. The Lakers were up 6 early in OT, but ran out of gas in the extra session.
Rough 0-3 Start
The season began in Portland last week, but the Blazers edged out the Lakers 128-119. The Lakers stayed close most the game, but the Blazers outplayed them in the last two minutes.
On Saturday night, the Lakers lost their home debut to the Houston Rockets 124-115. A fight spoiled LeBron’s home opener. In the fourth quarter between Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul threw down, with Brandon Ingram also joining the fracas. All three players were immediately suspended by the NBA. Ingram received the longest penalty with a four-game suspension.
Coming up next, the Lakers (0-3) visit the Phoenix Suns (1-2) on Wednesday night.
No Easy Road for LeBron
James left his hometown Cleveland Cavs for a second time when he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. The first time LeBron departed Cleveland, he headed to a Miami Heat team that already had a solid foundation. LeBron was the key player that put the Heat over the top.
With the Lakers, LeBron had a much tougher road with a younger squad that went 35-47 and missed the playoffs by 12 games.
The Lakers’ odds to win the NBA championship drastically changed with LeBron’s addition. The public overestimated his value, but LeBron was well aware of the difficult task at hand.
“I know what I got myself into,” LeBron James told reporters. “It’s a process. I get it. And it will be fine. So, I didn’t come here thinking we were going to be blazing storms right out of the gate. It’s a process, and I understand that.”
LeBron James has been asking for patience from everyone including himself. After Monday’s loss, he said “I know what I got myself into.” pic.twitter.com/r5RQheJh7P
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) October 23, 2018
Hollywood Bound
The Lakers will aggressively pursue free agents in the offseason to bolster their roster. LeBron needs help and there are several premier all-stars available.
Rumors are circulating that this is the final season for the Golden State Warriors’ Big 3 because Kevin Durant will be leaving for either New York or Los Angeles. Klay Thompson, whose father played for the Lakers, is also interested in joining his hometown team.
Kawhi Leonard from the Toronto Raptors is also a favorite to end up playing with LeBron next season.
