Category: NBA Basketball

LeBron James ‘felt bad’ for refs after his brain had ‘malfunction’ on travel

LeBron James is always willing to sell for a call, but even he felt a little bad for the refs after his uncalled walk vs. Jazz.

If you deceive someone when you’re not even trying, it’s just not that fun. Which is probably why LeBron James felt bad about getting away with one of the most egregious traveling violations you will ever see in Wednesday night’s otherwise fun-filled night for the Los Angeles Lakers as they cruised to a win at Utah, 121-96.

After the game, James was asked about the walk and double-dribble on him that wasn’t called and said that he felt bad for the refs because they are judged by the calls that they make and he feels like that missed call was on him, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group.

James is no stranger to selling contact or yelling to get a call, but he clearly felt bad about something he had no intention of doing and also really didn’t have any impact on the game itself. Nevertheless, the entire scenario from the action itself to James apologizing to the refs after halftime and then the postgame apology makes for a pretty hilarious gaffe in a Lakers season that has been mostly blooper-free.

Anthony Davis dominates, LeBron dishes and Lakers win big at Jazz

Anthony Davis was dominant but LeBron James and the rest of the squad did plenty in Wednesday’s statement win at Utah.

Less than 24 hours after putting up their best win of the young season, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t rest on their laurels and continued on a path that is looking ever more like one to a championship as they pummeled the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, 121-96.

Anthony Davis was dominant on both ends with 26 points, six rebounds and three blocks, completely outplaying Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert as Davis looked ready to take over Gobert’s Defensive Player of the Year award. While Davis dominated all over the court, LeBron James continued to quarterback the Lakers offensive attack on his way to 20 points and 12 assists to add to his league-leading assist total.

In addition to the play of the two stars, the Lakers had a complete outing from basically everyone on the team. Kyle Kuzma had 13 points and three blocks while Rajon Rondo had 14 points and 10 assists, including a stretch where he reeled off eight straight points in the early moments of the fourth quarter. Dwight Howard was also dependable on the glass once again and also had three blocks.

In a welcome change from last night’s tight finish against the Nuggets, the Lakers were able to finish Wednesday’s game with James and Davis getting to rest for most of the fourth quarter.

After the Lakers’ loss on Sunday to the Dallas Mavericks to begin the month of December, the Lakers have emphatically answered critics about their home-heavy early-season schedule by sweeping the most difficult back-to-back there is in the NBA.

 

LeBron James got away with a hilarious travel Wednesday night at Jazz

LeBron James got away with a hilarious traveling violation in the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Jazz on Wednesday.

Maybe it was the fact the Los Angeles Lakers were on the second night of a back-to-back but for a brief moment in Wednesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz, it looked like LeBron James had forgotten exactly where he was.

As the Lakers jumped out to a 34-26 lead in the first quarter, LeBron James appeared to think he was in a summer pick-up game rather than on an NBA floor playing against the Utah Jazz. Luckily for LeBron, however, the referees who were watching him may have forgotten where they were either.

During this possession in the first quarter, James picked up his dribble to take three steps before starting his dribble again. It looked like he was making sure everyone knew what the score was or something.

LeBron’s basketball IQ is regarded as the greatest in the game but even LeBron’s once-in-a-lifetime basketball brain isn’t immune to the effects of travel and fatigue. Nevertheless, despite the brief brain fart, James has his squad in a good position to come out of their treacherous Denver-Utah back-to-back with a 2-0 record.

 

Lakers in Utah to face out of tune Jazz who have lost four of five

The Los Angeles Lakers continue their three-game road trip on Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz, who have hit a rough patch.

After coming through with their most impressive win of the young season last night in Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to complete the NBA’s most difficult back-to-back 2-0 as they are in Salt Lake City to take on a Utah Jazz squad with high expectations in the middle of their first rough patch of the season.

The Jazz are finally back home for a few games after ending their five-game road trip 1-4. The bad trip has put into focus some issues the Jazz have had to begin the season, such as the struggles of former Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley and a slight drop-off in production from starting forward Joe Ingles.

Donovan Mitchell can still take over a game, but often he and Bojan Bogdanovic are asked to do everything for the Jazz offensively. On the flip side, their defense has taken a significant step back from the elite level they’ve been on for the last few seasons. According to Basketball-Reference, the Jazz are No. 10 in defensive rating after finishing in the top-three in the league in defensive rating in each of the previous three seasons.

However, the Jazz entered this season seen by many as a dark horse title contender. While they are in the midst of a bad stretch, the opportunity to come home and lick their wounds before hosting the best team in the West on a second of a back-to-back is the exact type of opportunity that can bring back belief in their season.

 

 

LeBron James leads offense, Davis leads on defense to win at Nuggets

LeBron James and Anthony Davis made big plays down the stretch to hold off a Nuggets come back to get the Los Angeles Lakers another win.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t shoot all that well and they looked like they were in trouble at times, but their superstars made huge plays late to show once again that they are the class of the Western Conference through the first quarter of the season.

Anthony Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds while LeBron James had 24 points and nine assists, but the two stars made the key plays late after the Nuggets pushed them down the stretch.

James came through with a huge putback dunk on a miss by Davis to put the Lakers up 112-106 with just over a minute left in Tuesday’s win. The Lakers also made several key stops in the final few possessions, with Davis–who entered the game with flu-like symptoms–stoning the Nuggets three times at the rim in the final few minutes and also doing an excellent job on star center Nikola Jokic (13 points, 4-12, five turnovers, eight assists).

The Lakers started out hot and ended the first half with the same conviction, as the starters for the Lakers pushed them to a 60-49 lead at halftime of their showdown against the Nuggets. After hearing questions about their schedule in the first 20 games, the Lakers responded with one of their best halves of basketball on both ends so far this season.

But the Nuggets, being a very tough team in their own right, fought back to turn this early December showdown of the two best teams in the West into a regular season classic.

But the Lakers don’t have much time to rest as they will get on a plane shortly after the game as they head to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz for the second night of a back-to-back.

 

Dirk Nowitzki says LeBron and Kobe were two of his favorite NBA counterparts

The Dallas Mavericks legend discussed the Los Angeles Lakers and their stars with USA TODAY’s Mark Medina.

Even though it looked like he was fighting it at times, Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki finally retired from the game of basketball last season and left as one of the most well-liked stars of his generation. On Sunday, he was courtside for his former team’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.

Our own Mark Medina of USA TODAY caught up with Nowitzki on Sunday afternoon, where Nowitzki credited the Lakers for keeping their basketball culture and reflected on his time in the NBA with two Lakers legends: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

“It’s amazing the basketball culture this club has had for such a long time,” Nowitzki said of the Lakers. “Kobe and LeBron were always two of my favorites to watch and compete against. They know how to prepare with how they’re ready, how they compete every game and their skill level. Definitely two of the best to ever do it.”

It should be said that Dirk’s crowning achievement–the 2011 NBA Championship –only happened because he beat Kobe’s Lakers and LeBron’s Miami Heat in the same season.

As for the Lakers of the present day, they are on the road now where they will play eight of their next nine games, starting tonight in Denver against a strong Nuggets squad.

The record for every LeBron James team through the first 20 games of their seasons

The Lakers are 17-3, marking the second time a LeBron James-led team has gotten off to that hot a start.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ 17-3 start marks the second time in LeBron James’ 17-year career his team has played .850 ball through 20 games. Here’s a closer look at how each of the teams King James has been with and how they have fared through the first 20 games of their seasons.

2003-04: 5-15

David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

LeBron’s rookie season saw the Cavaliers struggle from the start. They opened the season with a five-game losing streak and had an eight-game slide before getting to the 20-game mark at 5-15. In his NBA debut, LeBron had 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals against Sacramento.

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Kyle Kuzma credits Lakers vets with helping him accept new role

During an interview with Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Kyle Kuzma talked about his new role on a better Los Angeles Lakers team.

Kyle Kuzma has had a few big finishes for the Los Angeles Lakers this season and although he may not play in Sunday afternoon’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Kuzma is still adjusting to a role of coming off the bench after finishing the last two seasons as a starter.

The subject of Kuzma in a new role was the focus of a new column from Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, where they discussed Kuzma adjusting to being a role player on a team with championship aspirations. During the interview, Kuzma credited the team he is on and the teammates he has for helping him catch himself when he gets frustrated about not being featured more.

“That’s just part of sacrifice and trying to be on a winning team,” he said. “Obviously, it’s hard sometimes when you’re a young player wanting to continue to establish yourself and see you measure up across the league. In certain situations, you have the opportunities to just play. It’s hard sometimes — naturally.

“But I’ve got good vets around me, keep things in perspective. I have an opportunity to win a ring in my third year. Sometimes, I just have to catch myself, realize.”

Kuzma has had a few big breakout moments throughout the season like his first big game against Chicago with 11 fourth quarter points or his big shots against the Pelicans on Wednesday to help the Lakers comeback.

Kuzma has eclipsed 20 points only twice this season and he hasn’t reached that mark for over two weeks. Still, that’s not as important as him accepting a role with fewer field goal attempts and focusing on becoming a better defender to be able to play in big moments alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If he’s able to do those little things, the opportunities for big shots will continue to come.

LeBron James is driving the Anthony Davis DPOY bandwagon

LeBron James is already hitting the gas on the Defensive Player of the Year campaign for his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis.

Throughout most of the 16-2 start for the Los Angeles Lakers in the first month of the season, the conversation has often been about a change on the defensive end by LeBron James who had been maligned for his defense over the past couple of seasons.

But a concurrent storyline to LeBron’s defensive renaissance has been the play and leadership of Anthony Davis on that end. Davis leads the NBA in blocked shots through the first 18 games of the season and he’s making a strong case for his first ever Defensive Player of the Year award as he anchors the No. 2 defense in defensive efficiency, according to Basketball Reference.

LeBron James added his voice to that case for DPOY on Friday afternoon ahead of their game against the Washington Wizards.

James deserves plenty of credit for how this season has unfolded, telling Davis that he was a priority offensively while also letting Davis lead on the defensive end to make the Lakers one of the best defenses in the league. But being the teammate he is, James is speaking even louder about Davis to make sure The Brow’s heroic efforts get just as much shine as LeBron’s league-leading assist lead and defensive turnaround.

LeBron James says refs ‘never want to be wrong’ on replay reviews

Los angeles Lakers star LeBron James believes the egos of the referees plays a part in reviewing calls they may have missed.

A moment of candidness from LeBron James was caught on microphones during the closing moments of Wednesday night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, focusing on a process that is becoming more mainstreamed in the National Basketball Association these days: replay reviews.

Reviews have been around for a few years now and this season is the first year in which coaches are allowed to challenge a play they’d like to dispute. That situation presented itself on Wednesday when Frank Vogel challenged a foul call on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope when he was guarding Brandon Ingram in the closing moments of the win.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who was in New Orleans, described the situation.

James approached ESPN NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy courtside to share how incredulous he was with the review process.

“That’s a bad call,” James said, which was picked up on the game broadcast. “When the ref makes that call, he don’t never want to be wrong. They’re never going to overturn it. Ever. Ever.”

James is always vocal but he’s also smart about his money, usually managing to toe the line between fair questions and personal gripes. But the moment of candidness was a rare moment caught on the microphone of LeBron not being so measured in the heat of competition.

Although the NBA might take issue with the comments after the weekend, they shouldn’t because even though James might be a little unfair to the refs given the personal stake in every game, his honesty in the moment is a welcome moment fans should hear more often.