LeBron James reveals he was dealing with illness after torrid shooting night vs Suns: "You can hear it in my voice"
LeBron James revealed the reason behind his off night against the Phoenix Suns on Monday. James said he was dealing with an illness since Friday that led to his worst shooting night ever. The 39-year-old managed only 11 points in the 109-105 loss, shooting a measly 21.4% shooting efficiency (3-14).
It was one of the primary reasons the Lakers ended up on the losing side despite holding an 18-point lead in the first half. However, James blamed his off night on being sick.
"I've been better, you'll hear it in my voice," James said after the game.
LeBron James did sound sick, as seen in the embed above. The Lakers have had a hectic schedule to start the year, with four games since opening night, including one back-to-back. All their opponents have been playoff-caliber teams, including the Timberwolves, the Kings and the Suns, who they faced twice in that span.
James has played every game, but he has looked a step slower. He's ranking third behind Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves in usage, too. The Lakers are clearly expecting more out of the 39-year-old in other areas of the game compared to his offense.
That includes his defense in transition and rebounding, in particular. That seems to be draining him often during games.
LeBron James sounds optimistic despite loss
LeBron James wasn't feeling too much pressure after losing a game on Monday. He seemed optimistic about LA's performance. James clarified that there are things the team could have been better at, but there were some silver linings, too.
"Even with the loss tonight, we still did some great things," James told reporters. "There's things we could have been better at, obviously."
James cited the Lakers' 14-point second quarter and the start to the fourth quarter with a seven-point lead as two places where LA underperformed. That's where the game changed twice as the Lakers blew significant leads.
It was a close loss for the Lakers despite the back and forth. They could have won this with some sharpness when they were up big and executing plays well in the clutch.
However, the margins were always finer against the Suns when Kevin Durant and Devin Booker were making shots at will. The duo combined for 63 of Phoenix's 109 points, causing all sorts of trouble for the Lakers' defense.