The Los Angeles Lakers began their four-game road trip by clinching a win in Utah. While the victory wasn’t convincing, it gave Lakers Nation hope for a potential shift in momentum. Instead, LeBron James and co.’s performance took a massive dip, resulting in a 29-point loss in Minnesota and a 41-point loss against Miami tonight.
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Channing Frye, who spent the majority of his career playing alongside LBJ, was among the multiple analysts and enthusiasts who expressed dissatisfaction with the Purple & Gold’s embarrassing trip to South Florida. This 93-134 loss prompted Frye to make some candid judgment about the LA side, claiming that it was their “worst effort” in the recent past.
“This might be the worst effort I have ever seen in the last few years. This Lakers team quit before the game even started. In no world should (my guy) Kevin Love be able to guard AD or AD not go at him every time,” Frye wrote on X.
This might be the worst effort I have ever seen in the last few years. This Lakers team quit before the game even started. In no world should (my guy) Kevin Love be able to guard AD or AD not go at him every time.
— Channing Frye (@channingfrye) December 5, 2024
Anthony Davis’ strong campaign has been one of the only positive takeaways from the first 22 games of the season. However, he fell short of his usual form in the contest against the Heat. Thus, the 2016 champ was spot-on in criticizing the big man for a mere 8-point and 7-rebound stat line.
With Bam Adebayo on the bench, Kevin Love was assigned the task of guarding AD. Shockingly, The Brow couldn’t capitalize on this favorable matchup, finishing the night with his worst performance of the 2024-2025 season.
JJ Redick’s boys were particularly horrendous on the defensive end. Lack of communication resulted in Jimmy Butler and co. getting wide-open looks at the rim.
To make matters worse, the hosts seemed unstoppable, knocking down 57.8% from the field and 51.1% from beyond the arc. Their horrid 141 DTRG makes this their worst defensive performance in the season.
The All-Star duo of LeBron and AD did take the blame for the loss. Their postgame comments also suggested that the Heat’s hammering served as a brutal wake-up call for the team.
LeBron: “It’s not on the coaches. It’s definitely on us, for sure.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 5, 2024
Anthony Davis: “It’s on us. It’s on us players, to be honest. We’re getting the schemes. The schemes are on point. But we just gotta go out and do it and execute ’em. But I just gotta step up for the team.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 5, 2024
The best approach after tonight’s loss is to move on quickly, refocus, and gear up for Friday’s crucial matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Securing a win at State Farm Arena is vital to avoid potentially dropping two spots in the Western Conference standings.
