The Los Angeles Lakers did not fare decently without LeBron James. Anthony Davis had to lead the squad against a blood-hungry Los Angeles Clippers team during NBA Rivals week. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook all came together to notch an insane offensive outburst. James Worthy has not turned his back on his former team. However, he did unveil a crucial point of improvement, via Spectrum SportsNet.
“I just thought they had many opportunities. You know, they turned the ball over. Kawhi Leonard is too much. The Clippers are a good team but I was happy with the way the Lakers played. They just came up a little bit short. Couldn’t scratch the surface when they needed big buckets. Turnovers will cost you down the stretch,” James Worthy said.
The Lakers legend is definitely right. Without one of their main floor generals, LeBron James, the team often looked lost on offense. They turned the ball over 15 times with nine of them being steals.
Leonard came up big for his Clippers. He was everywhere in the 38 minutes of action that was given to him. This got him a massive triple-double with 25 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds. Anthony Davis was able to hold his ground for the Lakers as well. He played 26 minutes which got them 26 buckets along with 12 boards.
It was just a tough matchup for the Lakers. There are still some things they can improve on as they struggle to stay within a .500 record.
The Lakers’ silver lining
Obviously, the squad needs James to win games throughout the season. Despite his absence, other players have been able to step up. They may not match the star-caliber talent that the Clippers had in their big four but they delivered. Aside from Davis’ double-double, five players in the Lakers rotation got to double-digit scoring numbers. They could get better-quality shots as well. The Lakers only knocked down 11 out of the 32 three-point attempts they launched.
All of this combined with better ball security and defensive stops would make for a lethal team down the stretch. Hopefully, the Lakers get to bounce back and finally figure out what schemes to use at the right time.
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