On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered one of their worst losses of the season, a 107-105 setback to a weak Portland Trail Blazers squad.
Afterward, Lakers legend Magic Johnson took to Twitter to express his dismay.
Russell Westbrook missed the contest due to a back ailment, and without him, the Lakers looked like they lacked urgency.
LeBron James scored 30 points and had seven assists and seven rebounds, but he also committed six of L.A.’s 21 turnovers.
The Blazers recently traded away two of their best players, C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell, and superstar guard Damian Lillard has been out after having surgery due to an ab injury.
Still, Portland showed far more desire than the Lakers did, as it outrebounded them and held a huge advantage in fast-break points.
A bright spot for L.A. was the play of third-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker, who has failed to show any real improvement after getting a new contract this offseason. He had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
With just hours to go before the NBA’s trading deadline, the pressure is mounting for the Lakers to make a move that would improve their prospects. They are currently in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Many have felt that dealing Westbrook would fix the team’s issues, but Wednesday’s loss seemed to prove that the team’s issues run much deeper than him.
The Los Angeles Lakers have strong interest in re-signing Luke Kennard this offseason, sources told…
The Los Angeles Lakers plan to offer Austin Reaves a five-year, $240 million contract this…
LeBron James is not interested in playing for the Golden State Warriors next season if…
Golden State Warriors legends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will heavily recruit LeBron James this…
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason for the…
Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James turned 41 years old during the ongoing 2025-26…