Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
It wasn’t what the Los Angeles Lakers had in mind, coming out of their road matchup against the Chicago Bulls with a 124-108 loss. Perhaps the most concerning part of it, they scored fewer points than the game before for the fifth straight contest.
Asked what the issue is, LeBron James reiterated his stance on fatigue of all kinds plaguing this group.
“It’s a combination of everything,” James said via Free Dawkins on YouTube after the game. “It’s the emotional fatigue, it’s the physical fatigue, it’s the grind-of-the-season fatigue. And when you’re not winning that’s the frustration fatigue. So a little combination of everything.”
James made similar comments following the Lakers’ loss to the New York Knicks on December 18, pointing to his team’s extended run in the In-Season Tournament, which they won.
hISTory
“Our energy was up and down throughout the course of the game. We were definitely feeling it definitely,” James said via Spectrum SportsNet on December 19. “It could be a little bit of everything. I mean, have you seen Indiana’s record since Vegas?”
The Pacers were 1-4 at the time James made those comments, just as the Lakers are now.
Indiana did pick up a big win at home over the Charlotte Hornets on December 20 to improve to 2-4 since the In-Season Tournament Championship. Perhaps the Lakers can follow suit, though they will have to do it on the road.
The matchup versus Chicago was the first of a three-game road trip that will take the Lakers to the Minnesota Timberwolves – whom James called the “best team” in the conference – and then the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“No rest for the weary,” James said after the loss to New York on banner-raising night.
The Lakers will wrap up December and the calendar year with four more road games in six contests, giving them eight road games in a 14-game month.
LeBron James, Lakers Suffer ‘Bad Loss’ to Bulls
James finished the contest with team-highs of 25 points and nine assists, adding 10 rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. He also had several of his customary highlight moments in a game the Lakers trailed by as many as 18 points.
Coast to coast and-one! 💪
The Lakers had their full complement of rotation players. But James was one of five Lakers in double figures in points. The Bulls had eight players in double figures.
It drew criticism from Hall-of-Fame Laker Magic Johnson.
“Defense did not show up tonight in the 124-108 Lakers loss to the Chicago Bulls without Zach Levine [sic],” Johnson said in a post on X. “This is definitely a bad loss for my Lakers.”
Insider Presents Lakers’ Potential Offer ‘Specifically’ for Bulls’ Zach LaVine
“For LaVine specifically, I think the Lakers would consider a D’Angelo Russell-centric deal,” wrote Jovan Buha of The Athletic on December 20. “I don’t think they’d throw in much more than a combination of salary filler (Rui Hachimura and/or Gabe Vincent), a young prospect (Max Christie or Jalen Hood-Schifino) and a protected pick (2029 or 2030 first rounder).”
That is on par with previous speculation about what the Lakers would be willing to part with.
“The Lakers would fight to keep Hachimura and Christie, to be clear,” Buha continued. “But I see that offer on the high end of what they’d be willing to give up.”
Zach LaVine was in his bag tonight.
36 points | 16-23 FG | 4-8 from three
Buha added the Lakers continue to be hesitant to offer Austin Reaves. It is a prudent path as the Bulls continue to win without LaVine. That is evidence potential suitors can use to prove both his lack of winning contributions and questionable health.
LaVine has missed the Bulls’ last 10 games with foot inflammation. He is expected to return by the first week of January, per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report on December 18.
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LeBron James Doubles Down on Explanation for Lakers’ Struggles