On January 8th, Beijing time, the Lakers suffered a crushing defeat to the Mavericks, losing 97-118 and swallowing their second consecutive loss. In this game, the Lakers were leading in the first quarter, but after their defense declined in the second quarter, they were suppressed. The third quarter saw the gap widen to over 10 points, and in the fourth quarter, the Lakers were firmly controlled by the Mavericks, who were without Doncic and Irving. In the crucial moments, LeBron shockingly couldn't touch the ball and made consecutive turnovers that cost the game, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Is this the 40-year-old LeBron James? Has he been in the league for 22 years? Facing a 2.16-meter-tall LeFlore, he swung his arms in mid-air for a windmill dunk, still able to fly so high and far? Even on the road, he ignited the Mavericks fans.
In the first quarter, LeBron played for 8 minutes, shooting 4 of 3 plus 1 of 1 from three-point range, scoring 7 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal, with 1 dunk and a 75% shooting rate. It's worth noting that in the past 11 games, LeBron averaged 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, which is truly terrifying. In the second quarter, LeBron clearly started to coast, missing one three-pointer and one mid-range shot, scoring only 2 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in the quarter, finishing the half with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
After halftime, James still hadn't found his rhythm, going 0 for 2 from three-point range, with one breakaway dunk and one turnaround fadeaway jump shot. He scored 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in the quarter, finishing the third quarter with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal. However, this quarter saw a net loss of 8 points, with the gap between the two teams widening to 13 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers still couldn't defend against the Mavericks' offense. With less than 2 minutes left, the Lakers were still trailing the Mavericks by 14 points. During Redick's timeout, there were two turnovers, and shockingly, James didn't even touch the ball. The Lakers tried various three-point shots but failed, and the game was nearing its end. With 1 minute and 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Redick replaced the main players, and James finished the quarter with 4 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists.
In the entire game, James played for 35 minutes, shooting 6 of 12, 1 of 4 from three-point range, and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line, scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal, with a 50% shooting rate, 25% three-point shooting rate, and a true shooting rate of 61.5%, and a +/- of -12.
Written by Yan Xiaobai: A tribute to King James.