The Los Angeles Lakers are desperate for any kind of spark. Yes, they got a win over the Warriors on Saturday thanks to 56 points from LeBron James, but prior to that they'd lost four straight and 11 of their last 14. Short of LeBron working a nightly ...
He wadded up a bunch of cash and put it in the pocket of his jacket, took the jacket off, laid it over the guy and went on his way. He helped develop those players into Hall of Famers, who then in turn helped Pop grow into a coach who has now won more games than any other coach in history. He was a central part of the Spurs intelligence that drafted Kawhi Leonard in the middle of the first round, Tony Parker at the end of the first round and Manu Ginobili at the end of the second round. When I hired him, I met him for the first time when he flew in to get interviewed. The first thing he did when he got to Golden State, he set up a summer league for young kids to play in and stay off the streets. I was going through a separation at the time ... my boys were living in Colorado with their mom, I was [in San Antonio]. I will never forget, they were out here for about a week and my sister was about to take them back because we were about to go on the road. On Tuesday, ESPN published a great series of Pop stories told by some of the players and coaches closest to him over the years, and the central theme of so many of them was how giant and sincere this guy's heart is. I called Pop [and said,] 'I am going to be there, I am at the airport, my kids are having a tough time getting on the plane to go back. We love to romanticize the greatest coaches as these mad scientists scribbling genius on a napkin, but if your players don't play hard for you, if they don't trust you, if they don't care about you, you can draw up plays like the "Good Will Hunting" guy banging around on the MIT chalkboards and it won't matter. If you are one of the many people who believe Gregg Popovich is the greatest coach in NBA history, you can add another bullet point to your argument. Throughout the years, Popovich has always deflected credit in the direction of those around him, players and coaches, downplaying one of the most decorated coaching resumes in all of sports. The NBA just named Steve Kerr one of the 15 greatest coaches in history.
LA Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 132-111 during a NBA basketball game at. Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images. Share ...
That would put $15.7 million in dead money on the Lakers’ books for each of the next three seasons, a heavy anchor dragging down team building for years to come. The question then becomes: If the Lakers can’t construct a palatable trade, do they try to just buy Westbrook out? The challenge is making the divorce work because of Westbrook’s massive salary, $47.1 million. Or, even as a No. 1 option on the nights LeBron and Anthony Davis are out. The blame for that has to start with Laker GM Rob Pelinka — and LeBron himself, who pushed for this trade — for not envisioning how poorly a ball-dominant Westbrook would not work as a No. 3 option. It never lasts, and Marc Stein in his newsletter says that comes back to Westbrook.
The Lakers snapped their four-game losing streak and took down the Warriors 124-116.
Next up, it was the Warriors Johnathan Kuminga (18 pts, 5 reb) from the arc, then AR15 with the counter, and finally Steph Curry (30 pts, 4 reb) on the other end of the floor to tie the game at 108. Yes, Austin was also a part of the lights-out program that ensued in the fourth. And at 6’ 5”, a menace in the paint. There is a Laker who has been consistently noteworthy on defense, a rookie in fact — Austin. AR15 was unapologetic on the floor. King James scored 26 points by halftime, capped by a triple, and he notched 40 points heading into the fourth. The Lakers snapped their four-game losing streak and took down the Warriors 124-116.
LeBron James scored a season-high 56 points Saturday night in the Lakers' 124-116 win over Golden State. Here are the best photos from the game.
The Lakers’ LeBron James, left, and Anthony Davis share a laugh while sitting on the bench during the victory over the Warriors. The Lakers’ LeBron James and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry embrace after the game. A different angle of Lakers forward LeBron James throwing down his reverse dunk against the Warriors. The Lakers’ LeBron James drives against the Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins. Lakers forward LeBron James is all smiles after making a three-pointer as he passes Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly, along the sideline. LeBron James scored a season-high 56 points Saturday night in the Lakers’ 124-116 victory over Golden State. It was also his highest point total as a Laker. He became the fourth player age 37 or older to score at least 50 points in an NBA game.
According to some sources, there is no way that Russell Westbrook ends up with the Lakers next season.
And judging by how they approached the trade deadline, that might be very accurate. But at this point in the season, the validity of that excuse has long passed. The idea was there, but the execution of bringing Russ over to mix in with Anthony Davis and LeBron James hasn't worked out.
LeBron James notched his 13th career 50-point game, registering his highest scoring total since joining the Lakers in 2018, in a 124-116 win that snapped a ...
A few years down the line, it became a lot of pass and cut. After the Lakers staved off a potential Warriors rally in the closing moments, James hugged Stephen Curry, shared a laugh with Davis and left the court with a wide smile. Golden State (43-21), mired in a slump of its own, lost for the fourth straight time to slip to third in the Western Conference. James took advantage of the spread floor that resulted, driving to the hoop and then stepping into three-pointers when the Warriors tried to encourage him to shoot. It was really big, especially in a game that we needed to win.” The four-time MVP also matched Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young for the most points in a game this season.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Despite ranking third in NBA history in scoring and closing fast on Karl Malone in second, LeBron James has somehow never been thought of ...
He did not score in 16 minutes … Lakers G Talen Horton Tucker had two points in 18 minutes after not playing against the Clippers on Thursday because of a sprained left ankle. “Tonight, he forced his will and had his hands on the game at all levels. It was his 24th straight game with at least 25 points to extend the longest streak of James’ illustrious career. Golden State ran over Los Angeles with 42 points in the second quarter to take a 67-62 halftime lead. It was his third-most points in a regular-season game and 13th time he has had at least 50. James then threw down a thunderous alley-oop from Monk, who stole the inbound pass after a Los Angeles turnover.
Given how the two teams have been playing lately, there were plenty of jokes about the Saturday night primetime matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the lead-up to tip-off. As it turned out, it would have been a shame if ...
They're allowing 114.9 points per 100 possessions in their last 10 games, and let the Lakers do pretty much whatever they wanted for most of Saturday night. For most of the night on Saturday, that's just what he did. Russell Westbrook's tenure with the Lakers has been a borderline disaster and could be approaching a tipping point. After he made the first two, it was obvious he was searching for room to get off another one, and Jeff Van Gundy on the broadcast said it was a mistake. The two teams went back and forth all night long in a highly entertaining matchup that the Lakers eventually won, 124-116, snapping a four-game losing streak, thanks to a dominant performance by LeBron James. The 37-year-old turned back the clock, pouring in 56 points for his highest-scoring game as a member of the Lakers, and the third-highest scoring game of his career. Intent on making sure their slide did not continue, he dialed up one of the best performances of his career.
James put up 40 points in 27 minutes and recorded three consecutive 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter.
His big night also marks the most points James has scored as a member of the Lakers. LeBron James recorded a season-high 56 points as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 124-116 on Saturday night. With 34 seconds remaining, James kicked it out to Carmelo Anthony in the corner, who converted the game-sealing 3-pointer.
Lakers great Magic Johnson didn't hold back when it came to his criticism of the team, aiming his comments at Russell Westbrook on ESPN.
“… I’m tired of excuses, it’s time to take ownership and say ‘I just been playing poorly.’” This season hasn’t even been close to what Lakers fans envisioned. “[Russell Westbrook] quit battling the press, take ownership and accountability,” Magic told the “Countdown” crew.