For the second time this season, the Los Angeles Lakers are on a three-game losing streak, and they need their leader. LeBron James did score 22 points, but the issues with the team remain. Now, they face the Hawks back-to-back, and the 41-year-old has already shared what needs to change.

First, speaking about the defense, LeBron stated, “We were fighting uphill obviously, except like the first eight minutes of the game. Trying to get stops, multiple stops in a row, but you know, any shot that they make, especially from three, is always going to feel like a back breaker.” The Kings converted 17-26 from downtown at a whopping 65%. Meanwhile, the Lakers hit at a measly 22%.

James admitted the issue with the team’s inconsistent shooting and even took some of the blame himself. “They made a bunch of threes. We didn’t make many. Tonight was just one of those cases where you didn’t make shots. We got some very, very good looks. I got some great looks that you just have to knock down. And we didn’t.”

The team went 8-36 from beyond the arc. Luka Doncic was the only starter to score 2-9 while LeBron James, LaRavia, Smart, and Ayton failed to convert even one with a total of 13 efforts. Their effort led to Kings to lead by 20 minutes during the game. Even Redick highlighted the team’s need to make shots that simply did not go down tonight.

“Literally, we can’t make a shot. We were 28th before tonight in three-point percentage; we’ll be 29th or 30th after tonight,” added an unhappy Redick. “This has been the theme, but we’ve just got to keep on shooting, I guess.” But don’t worry, Lakers fans, even LeBron James is sending a positive message. He expects the team to follow the game plan against the Hawks as they look to avoid losing for the fourth straight game.

LeBron James needs his teammates to step up

LeBron James had a solid individual line with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 3 assists, and 3 steals. But bench players Maxi Kleber and Nick Smith Jr.failed to provide stability. Kleber had 0 points in 26 minutes, going 0-3 from three, while Smith Jr. went scoreless in 2 minutes of mop-up duty. Without Hachimura, the team failed to stop the attacks.

Sacramento attacked the paint aggressively and scored 46 points in the lane, with DeMar DeRozan finishing with 32 points on 14-of-19 shooting. LeBron and Ayton were active on rebounding duty, but not enough to prevent easy baskets. On the perimeter, the Lakers’ defenders couldn’t stop the Kings players from getting clean looks. Russell Westbrook went 4-of-8 from three-point range, and Zach LaVine connected on 3-of-4.

Plus, the Lakers allowed 17 points off turnovers, which were mostly easy transition opportunities. The poor execution by the players on defense and offense led to Sacramento building their two-game win streak only for the second time this season.

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