Video: LeBron James Disgusted With J.R. Smith After Botched Defensive Assignment

Peter Dewey
2 Min Read

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is known to hold his teammates accountable.

That is especially true for guard J.R. Smith, who infamously forgot the score in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals while he and James were on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now, the duo is reunited in Los Angeles, and it seems that some things never change.

James was unhappy with a botched defensive assignment from Smith on Monday night in the Lakers’ 135-115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

While the Lakers easily won the game to give them a 3-1 lead in the series, James is still making sure that everyone is focused from start to finish.

The Lakers have been much improved on the offensive end of the ball since scoring just 93 points in Game 1.

However, while James pointed to film sessions as a reason for that change, Los Angeles still could improve on the defensive end after allowing 115 points on Monday.

Regardless, James and the Lakers are on the brink of advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

They will look to close out the series against the Blazers on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 9 p.m. EST.

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Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.