On October 15, Beijing time, Lakers suffered a humiliating defeat in the preseason, losing to the Kings 86-133 to 47 points. In this game, Lakers coach Ham arranged for Westbrook to play as a substitute in , but Westbrook only played for 5 minutes and left the court due to a hamstring injury. He made 0 of 2 shots and did not score, and only gave 1 assist. James played in this game for 15 minutes and scored 12 points and 3 rebounds.
This game was completely defeated by the Kings, and the Lakers were 21 points behind 44 to 65 in the first half. The Kings continued to attack in the second half, 30-18 in the third quarter and 38-24 in the fourth quarter, completing the massacre of the Lakers. The Lakers' preseason record is only 1 win or 5 losses.
After the game, James spoke out about this game: "I like the way our team is built, but we have to put in the work... We can't be without the opportunity to get better on a daily basis. We must understand how important every day is."
James said it in a more general way and continued to hope that the team will get better. In this preseason, James played 4 games, averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, shooting 54% from the field and 33% from three-point shooting percentage.
James also talked about Westbrook's substitute, saying: "I think this is just something we have to consider tonight, I don't think it's a constant... No matter what role he plays, Russell (Westbrook) will become an important part of our club."
Westbrook left the game after only 5 minutes, and his injury has become a topic of concern. Lakers coach Ham talked about Westbrook's injury. Ham said Westbrook said he was fine, but the team will re-evaluate Westbrook's injury tomorrow morning.
For this crushing defeat, Kings coach Mike Brown gave it to him. Ham joked: "Mike kicked me hard today. I really didn't expect him to hate me so much."
Ham and Mike Brown have a good relationship in private. He used to be an assistant coach in the Lakers, and the Lakers coach at that time was Mike Brown.
Lakers are facing a low point, Schroder An injury to a finger may not necessarily play the opening game. If Westbrook cannot play the opening game, then the Lakers will be in trouble: "No one will feel sad for you, especially when you are a Lakers player." In addition, Ham also said that Lakers players must understand and accept this, and then go to the court every night to fight. ”
The Lakers' preseason record this year was 1 win and 5 losses, while the preseason record last year was 0 win and 6 losses.
