Charles Barkley trolls LA Lakers after double-OT loss to Dallas Mavericks
NBA analyst and former player Charles Barkley claimed it was "still Groundhog Day" for the LA Lakers, who lost against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
The LA Lakers fought back to bring the game to second overtime but did not have enough as Luka Doncic and company ended up snagging a 119-115 victory. The Lakers did put up an intense battle but ultimately fell short.
Doncic spearheaded all scorers with 35 points, while LeBron James led the Lakers with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. Russell Westbrook also put up strong numbers off the bench with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Charles Barkley, who has been a consistent critic of the LA Lakers, was not impressed by the team's loss against the Mavericks. The Lakers have improved considerably in recent weeks but still need the presence of Anthony Davis, who is yet to return from his injury.
While the rest of the analysts on TNT's "Inside the NBA" found some positives, Charles Barkley seemed to be focused on just the loss and said:
“You can say whatever time you want to, it’s still Groundhog Day. Lakers lost again.”
The Lakers took it to double-OT but the Chuckster is still not impressed 😅 https://t.co/sbhoIMDvxH
Other panelists wanted Bakley to give the Lakers some credit for coming back into the game and taking it to overtime. To which the former Houston Rockets player replied:
"Well, you want a cookie?"
When asked if he believes there has been improvement in the team in the past 15 games, Barkley retorted:
“But they lost again!”
LA Lakers lose to Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks despite putting up a strong fight
Despite some solid offensive performances from the Lakers' stars, the team struggled defensively, allowing the Dallas Mavericks to shoot 33% from three and giving up 18 points off turnovers. The loss was the fourth in a row for the Lakers against the Mavericks, leaving them in 12th place in the Western Conference standings.
Despite the defeat, the Lakers can take some solace in pushing Dallas to the brink, a team that made it to the Western Conference Finals last season. Of course, that will not be enough for LeBron James and company, who need to keep churning out victories to have a chance of making it to the playoffs.
LeBron on the Lakers crunchtime struggles: "The 1 consistent thing we have is a billion different lineups...teams have closing lineups...we got a lot of guys that's banged up. It's almost like, who's in a good rhythm...is going to be probably on the floor along w/ myself & Russ." https://t.co/hjYZ5oxGFj
The team was on a five-game winning streak but has now lost its last two games. The Lakers have relied heavily on LeBron James and are too easy to pass through defensively. While Davis' return will result in improvements, multiple trades might also be required to give this team a chance of making it to the playoffs.
The LA Lakers will have time to regroup as they play again on Sunday when they take on the impressive Philadelphia 76ers.