The Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Texas on Christmas Day to take on the Dallas Mavericks.
They walked away with stockings full of coal.
Try as they might, the Lakers were not able to overcome the Mavericks after a huge third quarter from Luka Doncic and his crew.
In the end, the Lakers walked away with yet another loss, this time 124-115 to the Mavs.
There was good news and bad news for the Lakers in the loss.
The good news was that LeBron James was, again, fantastic: 38 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists on a wild 56.5% from the field.
The bad news is that no one else on the team even came close to those numbers.
In fact, James’ 38 was more than the rest of the other four starters combined.
Former NBA player and current analyst Chandler Parsons spoke about James and his team’s struggles on ESPN.
“This is just super frustrating for LeBron because he’s dominating… I don’t know what else he can do,” Parsons said.
He added, “They’re not a good team. I feel bad for LeBron in a way.”
He’s not alone: there are many, many people who are tired and disappointed to see James play so well as his team flounders so much.
Tale As Old As Time
We have been hearing people talk like this about the Lakers since James joined several years ago.
When Anthony Davis isn’t playing, James is the main focus of nearly every possession and is easily the most important guy on the roster.
Yet, the Lakers front office has repeatedly failed to surround him with a crew that can support him as he needs.
James will be 38 years old next week and is still producing incredible, MVP-worthy numbers while his team sits toward the bottom of the Western Conference.
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