Watch: LeBron James whiffs on a fast break
LeBron James, 38, is having an amazing playoff run. But sometimes he looks his age.
James had a breakaway in the second quarter of Game 2 against the Nuggets. It looked like we were going to see a vintage James dunk, like his Kobe Bryant homage from 2020.
Instead, the result was more like Shaq. Shaqtin' A Fool, specifically.
James wanted to throw it down, but he threw it out of bounds instead. On the next possession, Jamal Murray fouled James and he stayed down on the floor, re-tying his shoes. As if those were to blame and not his hands. Earlier, James also whiffed on an open layup, leaving the ball short.
Following James' turnover, Los Angeles stretched their lead to 11 points before Denver came roaring back with a 12-2 run, thanks to a stretch where the Lakers failed to make a field goal for more than five minutes.
One Laker had no problem holding onto the ball and making easy baskets, though. That was Rui Hachimura, who was a perfect 7-7 from the floor and 2-2 from the free throw line on his way to a game-high 17 first-half points. The last two points came on an alley-oop from James which gave the Lakers a 53-48 halftime lead.
That might be the way forward for the Lakers in the second half. James can pick apart the defense with his passing and leave the dunking for the young guys.
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