Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Los Angeles Lakers got blown out by the New Orleans Pelicans on February 27 by a final score of 123-95. They trailed by as many as 32 points and were booed by the Crypto.com Arena fans.
LeBron James and Russell Westbrook combined for 14 turnovers against the Pelicans. The Lakers were outscored 44-25 in the third quarter, which is when the boos first started to be heard from the stands.
During his postgame media session with reporters, LeBron said the team desperately needs a win to remove the negative energy. However, it won’t be easy since Los Angeles has a difficult schedule coming up.
“We got a tough stretch with Dallas, Clippers again Thursday, then Golden State on Saturday,” LeBron said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “And we still got 10 road games this month, or March, so it don’t get easier for us. It all starts with a win. That’s what it starts with. Try to get off of this slide and get a win, and learn from that win with things you did well, things that you didn’t do so well. So it always starts with that and how you can try to get into a game-by-game situation.”
Lakers fans are some of the most passionate people in the world. They are also pretty spoiled. The franchise has won 17 championships, with the last one coming in 2020 thanks to LeBron and Anthony Davis, and this year’s squad was expected to compete for a title after Westbrook was acquired in the offseason.
However, the Lakers are only in ninth place in the Western Conference standings and purple and gold fans are furious. They not only booed the team during the Pelicans game, but some fans also talked trash to LeBron, Westbrook and Trevor Ariza.
LeBron, Ariza, Westbrook Got into It with Lakers Fans
LeBron, Westbrook and Ariza got into it with Lakers fans in the Pelicans contest. LeBron told one heckling fan, “Shut yo a** up” and Ariza yelled, “I don’t give a fu** what you are. You a b*tch” to another fan.
Meanwhile, Westbrook told one fan to go home. It was an ugly night for the Lakers versus the Pelicans, who only allowed seven 3-pointers.
“We’re not shooting the ball well from the perimeter, and the paint’s clogged, and we’re trying to force inside — with the pass, with the bounce — and it’s leading to a lot of turnovers,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said after his team shot 7-for-34 from 3, via ESPN. “And we’re not moving that well defensively. So, we weren’t very good on either end tonight.”
It’s not good when players are barking at their own fans. There’s a dark cloud hovering over the Lakers right now, so much so that veteran big man Dwight Howard is hopeful his teammates don’t quit.
Howard: We Can’t Quit on Each Other
Howard, who was part of the 2020 championship team, insists the Lakers can’t quit on each other despite all the turmoil they’re dealing with.
“It’s real easy to give up, throw in the towel and say negative things,” Howard said, via ESPN. “So, really at a loss for words. But we got to stay positive. We can’t sulk in defeat, and we can’t quit on each other. I know it’s been a very rough season, but nah, I think that’d be bad.”
The Lakers looked like they quit against the Pelicans. Their body language and effort on defense were poor and LeBron, Ariza and Westbrook were more focused on talking trash to fans instead of concentrating on the game.
There are 22 games left in the regular season. The Lakers are only 2.5 games ahead of the Pelicans in the standings. The Nos. 7-10 seeds participate in the play-in tournament and it looks like LeBron and Co. will be part of that group.