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The Los Angeles Lakers achieved another LeBron James-era first against the Golden State Warriors on Monday.
Only, it’s not the kind of impressive feat that James and the defending champions have been used to since arriving in 2018.
Playing their first game since erasing a 15-point deficit to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, an unconcentrated Lakers squad took a 19-point lead at Staples Center, with a gruesome fourth quarter that resulted by a 115-113 Warriors victory over Martin Luther. King Jr. Day.
According to statistics and information from ESPN, Monday’s contest marked the first time since James played with the Lakers that they have given up a lead of this size:
The Warriors were trailing by no less than 19 points tonight. The Warriors have 29 returns of at least 15 points under Steve Kerr; since 2014-15, only the Raptors (31) have more.
The Lakers’ 19-point lead is their biggest in any game LeBron James has played. pic.twitter.com/wSWkoB8X6E
– ESPN statistics and information (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 19, 2021
The Lakers quickly jumped over the Warriors, quickly gaining a 19-point advantage. After several runs from the Warriors, the Lakers found themselves up 17 in the third quarter and entered the final frame leading by 11. Despite a slower and slower-than-usual game, the Lakers 96 percent chance of winning with just over 10 minutes remaining, based on ESPN’s Win Probability model.
Still, the Warriors never quit until the Lakers cooled off. Championship determination from Curry (26 points) and Draymond Green bolstered by a season-best performance from Kelly Oubre Jr. (23 points) and a stellar effort from Andrew Wiggins (18 points) overtook the relatively reckless Lakers in the last minutes. From the eighth minute, Los Angeles went seven minutes without a basket in the fourth quarter.
Curry capped his team’s comeback with a 30-foot step back over Anthony Davis to put the Dubs on top of four with just over a minute left:
Good God, Steph pic.twitter.com/xcPYerrh39
– Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) January 19, 2021
Golden State beat the Lakers 34-21 in the fourth quarter.
After the first quarter, the effort of the Lakers – like Dennis Schröder after not to have a whistle on the flop – leaves a lot to be desired.
“We were upgraded in the second half. We didn’t defend at the pace that we were, ”said head coach Frank Vogel in his post-game remarks. “We hesitated on the offensive side. A little laid back … which you can’t do against a team like this, with great firepower.
That said, James had a quality look at a buzzer winning 3. The bullet sounded off the ledge – a fitting end to a 6 of 16 shooting night for James:
See Steph do that 3 to bring the game to 115 and LeBron miss the game-winning shot…. Unbelievable #GSWvsLAL #GSW pic.twitter.com/8OhB9m7pLs
– Edward (@EdwardThof) January 19, 2021
“Obviously it’s frustrating every time you lose,” James said afterwards. “Especially when you know you could have played better. And we know we can play a lot better. So you learn from all of that and apply it to the next game. “
Among other issues, James pointed to the Lakers’ slowness as a reason for their poor performance. LA only produced four quick break points. Still, James believes his team will learn from their mistakes.
“We had some tough breaks, tough calls against us in the second half that kind of slowed our pace,” said James. “We couldn’t find a rhythm… and they did a great job to counter that. Something we can learn from. And it’s always great to have games like that. “
James specifically expressed his dismay at a late-game travel call, which was followed by a no-call on a green clutch basket after slipping his pivot foot:
mind boggling that the umpires would see LeBron’s clear journey, then miss Draymond’s even clearer journey. pic.twitter.com/M6gzX2DM4F
– BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) January 19, 2021
LeBron on the frustration of roaming calls (question from @billoram): “It’s so funny because the next room, Draymond walks into the lane and slips his foot and it’s not called and the same official called me for the trip is right there on the room and me said he hadn’t traveled … ” pic.twitter.com/7kf45F6Rav
– Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 19, 2021
Davis also shot 6 of 16 and was upset by his team’s lousy execution, effort and attention to detail for the last three quarters.
“They were making tough shots, we stopped playing defense… we had a lot of late turnovers that we could have avoided… It was all controllable,” said Davis.
Like James, Davis didn’t want to do too much about the unusual loss.
“We know we are a good team,” he said. “We know the teams will play their best against us. But the way we lost, we don’t like… It’s the way we definitely should have won.
The loss ended Los Angeles’ five-game winning streak and sent the Lakers down to 11-4 this season, still leading the league. Notably, all four losses this season have occurred at the eerily silent Staples Center. The Lakers are undefeated (7-0) on the outside.
“There are no fans so the home crowd is not there to boost the home side when they go racing,” said Davis. “There is no energy in the arena for the home team like there usually is.”
Fortunately then, the Lakers will have the chance to regroup and recharge their batteries on the road. The Lakers will embark on a seven-game, one-season swing starting Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks in an empty Fiserv forum (4 p.m. PT).
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