LeBron James may have snapped out of his recent slump, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ struggles continue unabated. Despite James’ impressive 29-point, 8-assist, and 5-rebound performance against Miami Heat on Wednesday night, Lakers suffered a crushing 134-93 defeat. James also made history by passing Kyle Korver on NBA’s all-time list for most three-pointers made, moving into seventh place.
Tyler Herro led the Heat with 31 points, shooting 9-of-16 from beyond the arc, while Jimmy Butler contributed 17 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. In contrast, Anthony Davis, one of Lakers’ other star players, endured a rough night, scoring just eight-points on 3-of-14 shooting.
The loss marked the Lakers’ sixth defeat in their last eight games, dropping their record to 12-10 on the season. Meanwhile, the Heat improved to 10-10, snapping their own losing streak. The result only added to the growing frustration in Los Angeles, with head coach J.J. Redick expressing his disappointment.
“I’m embarrassed. We’re all embarrassed,” Redick said post-game. “We didn’t have the right fight, the right professionalism. I own this, but there needs to be more ownership on the court. There’s no sense that we’re together right now.”
The Lakers’ recent struggles have raised concerns, particularly with the team’s poor performances in blowouts. Los Angeles has now lost four of their last seven games by 20 points or more, with the 41-point defeat to Miami serving as the latest example of their inconsistency.
James, who had a subpar outing in Monday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves with only 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting, bounced back against the Heat. However, the broader challenges facing the Lakers remain unresolved. Redick had already expressed concerns about James’ earlier shooting struggles, noting that while James aims to play all 82 games this season, the team is questioning whether that goal is in his or the Lakers’ best interest.
“I don’t know if that’s in the best interest of him and us if he does that,” Redick said on Monday. “But if he’s feeling good, then he should play. We obviously want to manage that as best we can.”
Despite James’ resilience, the Lakers’ team-wide issues continue to be a source of frustration. Redick admitted that the team has yet to regain the form they displayed earlier in the season.
“I’ve not seen us play the way we played earlier in the year,” Redick added. “I’ve got to spend all day tomorrow with my staff trying to figure out how to get back to that.”
With the season still young, the Lakers will need to find answers quickly if they want to avoid falling further into a rut.
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