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On Monday, LeBron James faced NBA fans' ire for his streaky shooting night against the New York Knicks. LeBron ended up with a triple-double, but that didn't mean much, as his missed layups and air-balled 3s hurt the team. The Lakers lost their first home game since Dec. 5, 114-109.
LeBron had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He missed a 3-pointer with the Lakers down five, his eighth miss from deep. Considering his horrendous shooting display, it was a poor decision from the four-time MVP, who should've stuck to running a high pick-and-roll with Anthony Davis.
That scheme worked well for the Lakers as the star duo scored 12 points in three minutes, cutting the Knicks' lead to four points before New York restored it. James looked off-color from the get-go. He committed two turnovers on paper, while the other wayward passes got fortunately cleaned up. Interestingly, this was the second time LeBron got a triple-double this season and the Lakers lost again.
Despite the triple-double and flashes of brilliance until the missed 3-pointer, Lakers fans weren't letting the Lakers In-Season Tournament MVP off the hook:
"Bron the bob marley of smoking layups today," one fan wrote.
More reactions followed:
Lakers woes vs Knicks go beyond LeBron James' questionable decision-making
LeBron James' performance received most of the blame during the Lakers' 114-109 loss to the Knicks. However, the lack of contributions from D'Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura also hurt the team. Russell, a legitimate third option, could only finish with nine points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Cam Reddish scored four points on two-of-nine shooting, while Taurean Prince missed 10 of his 13 shots, scoring nine points. In year 21, just days away from his 39th birthday, the Lakers can't be relying on LeBron to be the force he was at his peak nightly.
The rest of the group needs to show up consistently if this team is to achieve a better record and seeding for the playoffs. LA dropped to 15-12 after this loss and 1-3 after their NBA Cup win.
The stretch until the trade deadline will determine how the team ranks at the end of the regular season, so LeBron James and Co. will look to bounce back as soon as possible.
