After a weak effort against the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers returned home to face off against the Toronto Raptors.
Their first meeting of the year, Toronto was all over the Purple & Gold in the first quarter. They outscored the Lakers by 21 in the first quarter, and they did not look back.
Led by Gary Trent Jr. and Pascal Siakam, the Raptors continued to make the Lakers look helpless as they went on to win 114-103. Despite shooting 27% from the three-point line, Toronto had 54 points in the paint. All game long, they were getting what they wanted.
Trent Jr. had 28 points, while Siakam had 27 points. Scottie Barnes continues to build his case for Rookie of the Year with 21 points of his own.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, it was no surprise to see LeBron James lead the way with 30 points. He also had nine rebounds and three assists. Talen Horton-Tucker was the team’s second-leading scorer with 20 of his own.
Despite remaining as the ninth seed in the West, Los Angeles falls to 10 games under .500.
My Thoughts
The Lakers’ performance wasn’t as bad compared to their effort against the Suns. But, it was still a very disappointing effort by Frank Vogel’s squad.
First off, the Lakers were outrebounded by the Raptors 64-43. 19 of Toronto’s rebounds were on the offensive end, which is inexcusable. But, if you’re not putting in effort on every possession, these things will happen. For example…
LeBron was visibly upset after the Lakers couldn’t grab the rebound. pic.twitter.com/ZhDCKumiNT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 15, 2022
It doesn’t matter if you’re having a lost season. When you’re on the court, you have to put in the effort during every possession. These Lakers are taking a roster spot for granted. No energy, no effort; this team is outright ridiculous.
As we all know, LeBron cannot do everything by himself. He shot 11-19 last night, while the rest of the starting lineup was 8-26. Outside of Horton-Tucker, everyone else was missing shots like it was routine.
The Lakers were outscored 48-22 against the Suns in the first quarter. If you thought that was bad, look at this.
The Lakers had chances to win this game. Toronto was struggling from the three-point line and only hit 72% of their free throws. But, as expected, Los Angeles was not able to capitalize on their opponent’s miscues. They shot 31% from three and were 75% from the free-throw line, only a minor increase compared to the Raptors.
Every game, it’s hard for me to figure out how to fix this team. Is it the coach that needs to be fired? Or is it just the roster as a whole?
It’s painful to see this team play basketball. Teams like the Thunder or the Magic seem more entertaining to watch because of their young players who actually try and not slack off.
If you’re Rob Pelinka, the easiest thing to do this offseason is to let everyone go not named LeBron or Austin Reaves. The Lakers need Anthony Davis more than ever, but he’s always in street clothes or making Ruffles. He can never stay healthy.
Russell Westbrook still can’t seem to find his role, Stanley Johnson isn’t as good as we all expected, and Malik Monk is a streaky shooter. Horton-Tucker is great, but his young age could lead to him becoming a trade piece.
Everyone else is either old or doesn’t deserve a spot on this team. We can talk about the Lakers making the play-in tournament all we want, but it won’t matter. Offseason plans should be the #1 priority for the front office.
Enough with the “We still got a chance” mentality. With the way this team is playing on a nightly basis, there is no chance whatsoever.
It’s time to rest LeBron for the rest of the season. No point in playing him when his teammates are taking their job for granted.
The Lakers are 2-8 since the All-Star break, tied for the 2nd-worst mark in the NBA. The only two games they won came when LeBron James scored 50 points.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 15, 2022
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