"We have to figure it out and get better" - LeBron James urges Lakers to improve after second consecutive loss
The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their second game in a row, this time to the New Orleans Pelicans, 129-109, on Sunday, December 31.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers with 34 and 20 points, respectively. However, only Austin Reaves helped them out with 20 points, and this was not enough against the Pels. The loss was their seventh in nine games, ESPN reported.
James is aware that they need to figure things out soon, stressing that they do not want to play catch-up later on in the season.
"We have to figure it out and get better, for sure," James said. "We're not one team that likes to play from behind."
James fends off critics, worried more about Lakers campaign
After the game, James says he is not worried about the criticism the Lakers are getting. He admitted that there are a lot of good teams right now, and all that matters to him right now is his team.
"I'm not worried about what everybody else has that going on. Obviously, there's a lot of great teams in this league. There a lot of people fighting for jockeying position. But I can only worry about us," the 39-year-old NBA star said in the post-game interview.
Further, James shares that he has a good picture of what the Lakers should be. Unfortunately, there are factors in play that are beyond their control.
"I got a small sample size of what we can do when we're whole. But I have more of a larger pie of what we look like where we're not. So that's the discouraging part right there," James quipped.
"But you know, no excuses because everyone goes through injuries, everybody goes through travel and things of that nature. This league is built on that, so we have to figure it out," he added.
Frustrations piling up for LeBron
The loss to the Pelicans was the second straight for James and the Lakers. They also dropped their last assignment to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-106, a game that had a little bit of color on a shot by the 19-time All-Star.
James was looking to tie the game with the T-Wolves up 107-104. He went for what seemed like a three-point shot but was ruled only a two-pointer. After game officials reviewed the play, the basket was adjudged only a two-point shot. Regardless of what the video replay said, "The King" still argued that he took a trey.
"You could clearly see a white…the wood on the floor is a space in between the front of my foot and the three-point line. Stevie Wonder can see that, champ…Somebody over there eating a ham sandwich made the call," James rued.
His frustrations carried on after the game. He put up an Instagram post with a snapshot showing that his foot was behind the three-point line.
