On January 20th, Beijing time, the Lakers lost to the Clippers, ending their two-game winning streak. Although LeBron James, at the age of 40, performed well individually in the first three quarters, unfortunately, the Lakers' roster depth was far inferior to that of the Clippers. In the final quarter, James went on a 7-for-0 shooting slump, making it impossible for the team to catch up (he only made 1 of 8 shots in the fourth quarter). James finished the game with 25 points and 11 assists.
Since December 30th, LeBron James has had an impressive three-point shooting percentage of 55.3%. Facing the Clippers' tight defense, he started the game by hitting two difficult three-pointers in a row. His third three-pointer was a Curry-style transition shot, but unfortunately, it missed. His fourth three-pointer also missed. After Redick's timeout, James hit a counterattack layup. In the first quarter, James made 2 of 5 three-pointers, scoring 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.
In the second quarter, James scored on a fast break layup and drew a foul on a drive. He also assisted Reeves in consecutive shots, helping the Lakers reduce the gap to 1 point. Unfortunately, Davis kept missing his mid-range shots, and the Clippers extended their lead to 12 points again. James' head was hit by Bamba once again, just like in the previous game against the Nets. At halftime, he had 7 shots, made 4, and made 2 of 5 three-pointers, scoring 13 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.
In the third quarter, James assisted Hachimura in making a three-pointer, and then he himself made a fadeaway shot. However, he missed an open basket, which caused the crowd to boo loudly. He later redeemed himself with a dunk, but unfortunately, the team's defense was too weak, and the Clippers had already extended their lead to 26 points. After James returned to the court, he led a 9-point rally, but they still trailed by 15 points at the end of the third quarter. James made 8 of 12 shots in the first three quarters, scoring 21 points and 8 assists.
In the final quarter, James missed a floater, bricked a shot at the basket, and then Hayes dunked off an alley-oop. James missed two open shots at the basket and also bricked a mid-range shot (going 0-for-6 in a row), forcing Redick to substitute him out. After being subbed back in, he continued to miss three-pointers (0-for-7), but finally drew a foul on a drive. James was subbed out again after his first successful offensive play. In the fourth quarter, James only made 1 of 8 shots, which was disappointing.
In the entire game, James played for 35 minutes, made 9 of 20 shots, made 2 of 6 three-pointers, scoring 25 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block, with a shooting percentage of 45%.
Written by Yan Xiaobai: A Tribute to King James