The Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Denver Nuggets in their most recent matchup. The Nuggets, who were on a five-game winning streak, were able to extend it to six with a 124-114 win over the Lakers. This loss, however, wasn’t just another regular season defeat as LeBron James made history during the matchup, reaching the 40,000 points mark on the All-Time scoring list. The loss against the Nuggets has left Stephen A. Smith disgusted.
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After the Lakers-Nuggets matchup, Stephen A. Smith went on to ESPN’s First Take to talk about the game. But he seemed more invested in berating the Los Angeles Lakers squad, excluding LeBron James.
“Can I switch gears and go in a different direction? Because I’m quite disgusted and I’d like to say that to the American people right now. Opening night, the Lakers open the season, they lose to the Nuggets. The night that Kobe’s statue is revealed, they lose that night. Tonight, LeBron James surpasses 40,000 points; the only player in NBA history to ever do it. They lose that game.”
SAS has always been vocal about his opinions regarding the game and what’s going on in the league. He does not back down from sharing his most intrusive thoughts, regardless of whether he faces heat from fans on the internet or not. However, in this case, the 56-year-old analyst is not entirely wrong.
Be it the opening night or Kobe’s statue unveiling day, the rest of the Lakers’ squad failed to pick up the pace against the Denver Nuggets. Smith first went on to criticize D’Angelo Russell and his streaky shooting during the first two quarters. The veteran NBA analyst then dug his claws into Anthony Davis and his lack of defense on top of mediocre offense.
Smith emphasized how AD could not get away with having a mere 17-point game where Nikola Jokic is dropping 35. Either Davis should’ve had more of an impact on the offense or he should’ve locked it down on the defensive end of the floor.
LeBron James gets no support from the Lakers squad
LeBron James led the night in scoring, finishing tonight’s game with 26 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals for the game. James shot 60% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Even though all five of the Lakers starters finished the night scoring in double-digits, losing a game when LBJ reached 40k could justify Stephen A.’s disgust with the team and the Lakers’ star players.
Apart from Stephen A. Smith, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins also chimed in on Anthony Davis and his demeanor towards him and SAS before the game.
“Anthony Davis had more attitude with me and Stephen A today before the game than he actually did in the game.”
Anthony Davis finished the night with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 assists. On any other night, AD’s double-double would’ve been impressive enough to not get called out by fans or analysts.
But such a stat line for a game against one of the best teams in the league is where it became unacceptable to Smith. Now, with only a few more games left in the regular season, the Lakers need to ramp things up if they hope to make it to the playoffs.
This loss brings the team’s record to 33-29, placing them at the 10th spot in the Western Conference. With the pace at which the Los Angeles Lakers are currently playing, do you think they’ll make it to the postseason this year? We’ll let you contemplate that.
