Skip Bayless asserts LeBron James can no longer carry his teams: "Lakers just outscored in the 2nd half 56-36 by LeBron's former team AT HOME"
LeBron James and the LA Lakers lost at home 114-100 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. They have now lost back-to-back games and hold a 2-7 record.
LA’s impressive first half, in which they scored 64 points, gave way to a dismal second half, which was the tale of the game. Skip Bayless promptly pointed out the obvious while taking another shot at “King James” after the loss:
“LeBron James can no longer carry a team in games they should win, especially at home. Lakers just outscored in the 2nd half 56-36 by LeBron's former team AT HOME.”
LeBron James can no longer carry a team in games they should win, especially at home. Lakers just outscored in the 2nd half 56-36 by LeBron's former team AT HOME.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t take the lead until 10 minutes into the third quarter. Behind Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, the Cavs pounded the Lakers in the aforementioned period 29-16. Cleveland turned a six-point deficit entering the second half into a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
To make matters worse for LeBron James and the LA Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped a crippling 17-0 run, bridging the third and fourth quarters. Cleveland was already 94-83 up when the searing run ended.
A big reason for the LA Lakers’ big first half was Anthony Davis, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the first 24 minutes of the game. Russell Westbrook also did his part with 14 points and five assists.
LeBron James started to make his mark in the second half after AD and Westbrook got going. Unfortunately, when the four-time MVP found his rhythm, so did the Cleveland Cavaliers and they completely overwhelmed the Lakers.
“King James” finished with a team-high 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He was 13-23 from the field but only made one of his four shots from beyond the arc.
The LA Lakers have been struggling since the start of the season, while the Cleveland Cavaliers have surged right out of the gate. The Cavs, who currently own an 8-1 record, are sixth in offensive rating, second in defensive rating and tops the NBA in net rating.
Even oddsmakers favored Cleveland, who were on the road, to defeat the home team by six points. Why Skip Bayless called this match a game the Lakers should have won is a bit puzzling.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers will have to fix their defense
The LA Lakers were second in defensive rating in their first seven games. They have now slipped to fifth after beatdowns by the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the loss to the Cavaliers, LA had better efficiency in their shots (46.0%) than Cleveland (44.0%). They had more assists and more points in the paint. And yet, they still lost by 14 points.
The defense has just not been up to its usual standard in their back-to-back losses. They couldn’t hold the Cavaliers when the game mattered the most. During Cleveland’s 17-0 run, they blew assignments and were lackadaisical in getting back on defense against the Cavs’ running game.
Darius Garland was fast, but he looked even faster with the way he ran rings around the Lakers’ second-half defense.
Darvin Ham previously explained how the Lakers have been doing on defense.
"We took a huge step backwards tonight." Darvin Ham after the Lakers 130-116 loss to the Jazz. https://t.co/X66nZzhsKL
LeBron James and the LA Lakers have a troubling weakness. They can’t keep up with teams who have excellent ball movement and methodical half-court sets. They’ve been competing despite the losses, but if they don’t correct their mistakes, they will continue to struggle, particularly if their offense stalls.