The Lakers and Warriors put on a show in a Christmas Day matchup that many will remember for years to come. However, with the odds stacked against them, the Lakers were able to grab the 115-113 victory. LeBron James and Austin Reaves finished with historic performances as they narrowly downed the Warriors. Moreover, NBA analyst Chiney Ogwumike believes the Lakers’ requirement of heroic performances on a nightly basis is preventing them from championship contention.
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Chiney joined ESPN’s Get Up to give her reaction to the legendary Christmas Day game. Despite the exceptional performance from the Lakers, she couldn’t hop on the hype train. She said,
“The Lakers they’re like that shiny ornament… But at some point, you got to take the ornaments down and adress the situation for what it is. They’re the pride and joy of the NBA but it takes Herculean efforts to have a chance to win games. Like we saw from LeBron James last night and also a great game from Austin Reaves to finish it off at the end for them to have a chance to win games. And again, this is a Warriors team that has been struggling for the last few games.”
Ogwumike compared the Lakers to a shiny ornament. However, there comes a point when the ornament has to come down. She believes the same applies to the Lakers as there are still glaring problems that they need to address.
This isn’t to diminish this impressive victory over the Warriors. Lakers big man Anthony Davis only played seven minutes before suffering an ankle injury, which he didn’t return from. Instead of a balanced effort, the Lakers relied heavily on the backs of James and Reaves to will them to the win, especially in the fourth quarter.
James finished the contest with 31 points and 10 assists in his NBA record 19th Christmas Day game. In addition, Reaves became the 10th player in league history to record a triple-double on Christmas. His stats consisted of 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
LA is 17-13 on the season and sitting as the sixth seed. Their performance 30 games into the season hasn’t given Ogwumike the confidence to believe in them as contenders.
The Lakers still have to prove their worth
As long as the Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis they will pose a threat. However, James is nearly 40 years old and is visibly not as great as a play as he was last season. The Lakers can’t depend on the NBA’s all-time leading scorer to bail them out like in past years.
Despite these hindrances, the Lakers have been able to put together a solid amount of wins. Unfortunately, none have been that convincing. In only their previous game, they lost to the sub-.500 Detroit Pistons at home. LA’s lack of size apart from Davis is their one glaring weakness. Golden State isn’t a team that exposes that hole, but many teams in the West such as the Rockets, Grizzlies, and Kings will make their presence felt.
Although Davis revealed he will be ready for the Lakers’ next game, his injury deserves a cautionary approach. The last thing this team can afford is one of their star players missing extended time due to injury.
