The Los Angeles Lakers took on the New York Knicks in a marquee matchup. LeBron James returns to the lineup after missing the last 5 games. Meanwhile, both these teams have disappointed so far and have had a below .500 record. The offseason moves both teams made have not lived up to the expectations and they are struggling at the moment.
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The Lakers were coming off a loss to local rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. They were down by 17 in the third quarter, but they stormed back to take the lead. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t hold on to it and they lost 111-110. Anthony Davis had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but his runner was off the mark. Davis has been brilliant since his return and with the return of LeBron James, the Lakers will hope the duo can get going.
USA Today via Reuters
Feb 5, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) defends a pass by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) in the first quarter of the game at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
However, the Lakers were off to a poor start in the game against the Knicks. They were down by as many as 19 points in the first quarter. RJ Barret and Julius Randle were shooting lights out in the first quarter and RJ had 17 points in the first eight minutes of the first quarter itself. The Lakers were cold from the beginning and they just couldn’t keep up with Knicks’ ball movement.
Fans boo Russell Westbrook as LeBron James returns
As the Lakers’ struggle continued the lead kept building and at one point it reached 21. The Lakers fans were furious with the team’s performance and they were letting them know. Russell Westbrook had another tough shooting night as he went 1-8 from the floor. He had embarrassing misses, which led to him getting booed by the Laker fans.
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 17, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) was given a technical foul for his reaction after a dunk over Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) in the first half of the game at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Russ tried his signature mid-range shot off the glass, and it missed badly, not even coming close to hitting the rim. The fans weren’t pleased with that shot and with the Lakers down 19, the fans booed Westbrook for his performance.
Laker fans are booing Russell Westbrook after this awful miss 😳 pic.twitter.com/yOrAtlB5EA
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) February 6, 2022
He was booed again when he got the ball up on the next possession, but it died down as LeBron James was trying his best to keep the Lakers in the game. They ended the half with a 15 point deficit, but the play of LeBron and Anthony Davis should give them hope.
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