Did Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls come at the wrong time for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers?
The panelists for ESPN First Take believe the Lakers ‘are in trouble.’
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Los Angeles ended a three-game losing streak with James’ buzzer-beating shot against the Pacers, but the Lakers dropped a crucial matchup versus Chicago. Los Angeles suffered a 117-119 loss on the road in a game where James struggled. He has not been at his best since returning from a groin injury. The 40-year-old had a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, yet he also had four turnovers, missed all five of his three-point attempts, and made only eight-of-20 shots from the field.
The Lakers (44-29) are now tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles has a tough remaining schedule, starting with Memphis on Saturday. It also has Houston twice and Oklahoma City — the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference — twice. The Dallas Mavericks have been playing better as of late, holding firm to the 10th seed in the WC for the play-in tournament. L.A. has to battle Anthony Davis to finish out its regular season.
Kendrick Perkins, a former NBA player, explained why the loss to the Bulls is bad for the Lakers.
“The Lakers are in trouble,” Perkins said. “That was a game last night that they needed to win. They were supposed to win and J.J. [Redick] was right, it was devastating. It was not just the way they lost, but because J.J. is looking at the near future and what is going on. They are 2.5 games back from being in the play-in tournament, and have you seen the teams they have to face in the next couple of weeks? They have the Rockets in Houston, they have Memphis in Memphis, they have OKC twice, and they have Dallas … By the way, Anthony Davis is back.”
Perkins also mentioned Luka Doncic not being in shape and James not 100 percent.
“LeBron James is not healthy,” Perkins said. “I think he’s probably 70 to 75 percent. So again, we are talking about at a time where you are supposed to be peaking going into the postseason, the Lakers are trending backwards.”
Stephen A. Smith agreed with Perkins, but he took a step further.
“The Lakers should lose five of its next six game,” he said.
“When you look at the schedule, the Lakers should lose five of its next six games. Let’s say the Lakers go 2-4 over the next six games, where does that leave them considering what we are witnessing in the Western Conference? We are talking about a Los Angeles Lakers team that could fall to five or sixth in the conference. Now pick your poison. If you are a sixth seed, the likelihood is that you are going to face Denver in the first round. If you are a fifth or fourth seed, then you are talking about facing OKC in the second round. Which would mean the aspirations we have about putting the Lakers in the conference finals are in grave jeopardy.”
Coach Redick, James, and the Lakers look to bounce back versus Memphis this weekend.
Stephen M. Smith is a writer for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him him X via @CoachingMSmith.
