As the Lakers struggled to win against the bottom dwellers from the East, their head coach, Frank Vogel, survives yet another day.
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On the back of a shambolic performance against the Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers started their 6-game road trip on the East Coast with a game against the team with the worst record in the league, the Orlando Magic.
LeBron James and Co started Friday night’s game the way they ended it on Wednesday in LA. They trailed in both the starting quarters and were 8 points behind at the half to a team that has 8 victories in 47 games they have played thus far.
And the whole basketball community, including fans and experts, all were ready to get on the Purple and Gold team’s back. Irrespective of how bad are the players performing, head coach Frank Vogel would again have come under the bus, getting most of the blame if the Lakers ended up with yet another loss.
Lakers trail the the NBA’s worst team, 8-38 Orlando, by 8 at half. As usual they’re playing a lot of dead-headed, don’t-care mannequin D – especially LeBron. Vogel’s job teeters. Can’t see how he survives if they lose this one.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 22, 2022
Skip Bayless credits Carmelo Anthony for saving Frank Vogel’s job
The Lakers made a sound comeback in the fashion similar to how they gifted most of their 23 losses this season. They outscored the Magic by 15 points in the 3rd quarter and added another 4-points to the lead in the fourth to end the game 116-105 in their favor. And Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless was quick to state that Carmelo Anthony saved his coach’s job.
Carmelo Anthony just saved Frank Vogel’s job.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) January 22, 2022
Melo finally rediscovered his early-season form and knocked down 4 of his 5 attempts from downtown. He finished with 23 points, while Stanley Johnson and Malik Monk also had double-digit scoring nights with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Russell Westbrook had yet another inefficient game, but it was slightly better than most of the previous ones, scoring 18 points on 17 attempts. LeBron again led from the front and had 29-points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, making it his 16th game with 25-points or more.
The Lakers just after getting back on the .500 mark will now face 4 teams that are well above that mark. Vogel’s side has struggled against a team with a winning record. The coach will be lucky to still have his job after these games.