Lakers collapse to Pelicans in Laker-like fashion.
Everything was going well for the Lakers, who went into halftime with a 20-point lead and were clicking on all cylinders, with LeBron leading the way with a 25-point half before showing who the Lakers truly are, surrendering a 23-point lead and a 41-point third quarter, collapsing to the Pelicans 116–108, putting their play-in hopes in jeopardy as New Orleans leapfrogged the Lakers to claim the 9th seed.
“This game is over. We’ve got to turn the page to the next one. Frank Vogel said, “This game hurts, but we have to regroup and find a way to beat Dallas.”
To make matters worse, during the 2nd quarter of tonight’s loss, LeBron James rolled his ankle on Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes trying to secure an offensive rebound, saying: “I have no idea how I finished that game, after watching that replay. It’s pretty nasty.”
“It’s horrible right now,” LeBron added, “Just have to get treatment, and see what happens day to day, but it’s sore right now.”
LeBron’s status for Tuesday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks is up in the air, with LeBron saying: ”I hate missing games. It’s not in my makeup.”
LeBron finished with a game-high 39 points in 41 mins played tonight.
Despite rolling his ankle earlier in the first half, LeBron James still managed to toughen it out and finish the game, scoring a game-high 39 points on 52% (14-for-27) shooting overall, going 7-for-13 (54%) from behind the arc, adding 9 rebounds and 5 assists in 41 total minutes of action.
“I lost all explosiveness, couldn’t really get into the lane like I’d have wanted to.” LeBron said, “I hate missing games. It’s not in my makeup.”
Malik Monk and Russell Westbrook were the only other two Lakers to finish in double figures in tonight’s disappointing loss.
Malik Monk finished second on the Lakers with 23 points on 53% shooting, adding 6 assists in 28 minutes off the bench for the Lakers.
Russell Westbrook finished right behind with a solid outing of 18 points on 8-of-15 (53%) shooting overall, going 2-for-5 (40%) from three, and adding 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 31 minutes played.
The Lakers’ next matchup is back on the road this Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks, who sit at 46–29, making Tuesday’s matchup a must-win for the Lakers after tonight’s collapse, putting the Lakers play-in hopes in jeopardy.