James Worthy compares the LA Lakers to a virus after losing to the Boston Celtics
The LA Lakers lost their third straight game following a 130-108 defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics. After the game, Lakers legend James Worthy compared the team to a virus.
Speaking on the Spectrum SportsNet postgame show, 'Big Game' James talked about how embarrassing the Lakers were against their rivals Celtics in Friday's game at TD Garden. The Hall of Famer mentioned that the Lakers are like a virus wherein they play good at times then they will have bad nights.
"Embarrassing for the Lakers to have that kind of performance, so yeah. There's somewhat of a little virus in there, you know. You feel good some days. You'll play a good game against Milwaukee, next day the virus sets in. I'm a little sick. Third quarter. I mean not physically sick, but third quarter woes again, you know. The same old mistakes are not being corrected, so that's a problem," Worthy said.
Final count. https://t.co/YsbvgVvt4c
The LA Lakers vs Boston Celtics game was close after the first half, but the Celtics had a big third quarter. They outscored the Lakers 33 to 21 and went on to blow their rivals out of the building with a 130-108 victory.
Boston spoiled the return of LeBron James, who played for the first time since missing eight straight games due to an abdominal strain. James was superb with 23 points, six rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.
However, it was not enough to prevent the LA Lakers' third straight defeat. They now have a record of 8-9 heading into three more games for their five-game road trip. The Lakers will face the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers before returning home.
What went wrong for the LA Lakers against the Boston Celtics?
The LA Lakers kept the game interesting in the first half and even had a 14-point lead at some point. However, the Lakers continued to have their third quarter woes as they were outscored once again 33-21. It was the 12th time they had been outscored by double digits in a quarter this season, tied for the worst in the league with the Houston Rockets.
Besides the third quarter problem, the defense of the LA Lakers was just very poor. They were bullied in the paint by a Celtics team without their starting center. Boston just outrebounded and outscored the Lakers inside.
Jayson Tatum toyed with the LA Lakers' defense all night, driving in the lane and getting lots of easy baskets. Tatum finished the game with 37 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers also have the second-worst defense in the paint in the NBA, as well as the fact that they allowed opponents to score 100 or more points in all but one game this season.
JT was unstoppable tonight as our @gatorade Player of the Game 🔥 https://t.co/CUm0RQpVDM
Nevertheless, it's still too early for the LA Lakers and several guys are still out injured. LeBron James and company have not played together long enough to build any chemistry or consistency. The Lakers trio of James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook have only played together six times this season.
Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn are both out injured, and are two of their best perimeter defenders. They will surely improve the LA Lakers' defense once they make their return. As long as LeBron James and the rest of the team can stay healthy, they'll be able to turn things around.