If you’re a Los Angeles Lakers fan, losing shouldn’t be new to you. They’ve been doing it a lot for the better part of the past five years.
But what happens when you add the best player in the NBA? You keep losing.
It was a thriller at the STAPLES Center last night, as LeBron James and company took on the San Antonio Spurs and though they were without Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram, the Lake Show still played hard and got within minutes of winning.
Unfortunately, James could not hit free throws in overtime to seal the game, or at the least, make it harder for the Spurs to come back.
He did hit a monster three to send it to overtime, though.
Without Ingram and Rondo, young stars like Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart stepped up to the plate, as they scored 37 points and 20 points, respectively. LeBron also had 32 points and 14 assists on the night, with Lonzo Ball adding 14 points.
For the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan had 32 points and 14 assists while LaMarcus Aldridge had 37 and 10 rebounds on the night. Patty Mills also contributed 12 points from the bench, including the dagger in overtime with 6.8 seconds to go to beat the Lakers and put them at 0-3 for the season.
After the game, Luke Walton ripped the referees for not calling fouls on the team and the discrepancy between the two teams on the free-throw line. He also took it back to games before where this applied as well, saying how much guys flop and get called, yet guys like James and Hart play physical and barely get to the line.
LeBron starts his season at 0-3 for the first time since his rookie year and the problems for the Lakers are pretty glaring. They still can’t defend down low and they can’t defend from the three point either. They’re the worst defensive team in the league as of right now.
With internal drama brewing after that Rondo and Ingram fight, it’ll be interesting to see how the Lake Show prevail or ultimately make changes to improve.