Thirty minutes before the Lakers tipped off against the Toronto Raptors at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night, LeBron James’ “game-time decision” status became a go for the otherworldly forward.
James was listed as questionable because of left knee soreness and because the Lakers played at Phoenix on Sunday night, leaving him iffy to play in the second game of a back-to-back set.
Before Monday’s game, Lakers coach Frank Vogel told the media that James would work on his body in preparation to play.
“He’s been sore and in a pattern of being sore the day after games,” Vogel said. “So we had thought there was a chance with the back-to-backs, he would sit out the second night. But he wants to get on the floor, see how it feels.”
Obviously, James felt that he could play, but the 114-103 beat down the Lakers suffered against Toronto had to leave him and his teammates mentally and emotionally drained.
James had a solid game with 30 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (29-39). Talen Horton-Tucker added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench. Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony each finished with 14 points.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 28 points to lead the Raptors (38-30), who have won four straight on the road. Pascal Siakam added 27 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers got down by 28 points in the third quarter, the pregame point of emphasis of not getting into big deficits meaning very little.
They scored just 12 points in the first quarter, which was tied for a season low in a quarter during a season of lows. They trailed 33-12 after one quarter.
They were doomed.
They have lost eight of their last 10 games, and it doesn’t get easier.
The Lakers embark on a four-game trip that starts in Minnesota on Wednesday night. They will face three teams with winning records. The Lakers have lost 10 consecutive games on the road.
James played 30 minutes, 12 seconds in the 140-111 loss to the Suns, none in the fourth quarter.
In a season of full of lows for the Lakers, Vogel said “not one” when asked about the most frustrating part of the 2021-22 campaign.
There are times when it appears as if the Lakers’ spirit is broken, partly because their poor play puts them in such big holes that they can’t recover.
For example, when the Lakers got down by 35 points to the Suns and never got back into the game.
“There’s just too many times when we get into big deficits,” Vogel said before the game. “It takes its toll on your individual psyche and the psyche of your group. You’re constantly aiming to try to push your guys to be better and coaching them hard but also trying to keep them lifted because it definitely takes its toll on your psyche [with] just the amount of times when we’re down 20-plus points this season. … But we have shown throughout the year to rally and respond. Not well enough in-game but coming back with big games following up some of those situations. And that’s got to be the mindset tonight.”
It was not.
When James exited with 2:54 left in the first quarter and the Lakers were down by 20 points, he slowly walked to the end of the bench with his head down and sat next to star big man Anthony Davis, who still is out because of a right mid-foot sprain. The Lakers also didn’t have backup center Dwight Howard, who was out because of personal reasons.
James looked exasperated at seeing the Lakers get down by 24 points in the first quarter.
So, the mindset Vogel was hoping to see was nowhere to be found in the first 12 minutes.
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