The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks had one heck of a game on Thursday night, playing through two overtimes and repeatedly getting fans on their feet.
In the end, the Lakers weren’t able to take the Mavericks down and they lost 119-115 in the second overtime period.
Russell Westbrook led the Lakers with 28 points, while LeBron James was good for 24 of his own.
Following the game, James spoke with reporters and shared some insight into the biggest thing holding his team back.
When asked if the Lakers will be able to get on the right path and find success in the second half of the season, James was fairly frank, saying, “Ever since we made the trade for [Anthony Davis] to bring him here, the whole thing has been about health.”
James isn’t wrong – health has been a huge detriment to the team for a few years now.
While Davis’ health has of course been the most problematic for the squad, multiple players have had to miss games as well, including James himself.
It feels like the Lakers are rarely fully healthy and their roster is almost always missing someone.
But even when they are healthy, problems persist.
Davis, James, Westbrook, and the entire crew were in good health at the start of this season and yet the Lakers still fell into a huge hole.
This shows that while injuries and staying healthy are a problem for the Lakers, it’s not their only problem.
After a tough loss like the one they experienced on Thursday, the Lakers are looking at all the things holding them back and wondering if they can fix them.
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