LeBron James regrets the constant injuries
The The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Detroit Pistons 128-106 on Tuesday night. When all was said and done, the All-Star LeBron James he didn’t mince words about how injuries have affected the team this season. However, the 41-year-old certainly noticed that the team I can’t afford excuses.
“We haven’t had a full team all year,” James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin after the loss. “We just took out some very important guys. And obviously I started getting older. And our All-Star, 2-back (Austin Reeves) is out, and Rui (Hachimura) is out now. And Gabe (Vincent is) out for a minute. Jackson (Hayes) just came back. There was a lot of in-and-out on the floor. with guys you’re going to play with every night.
“But there are still no excuses. We still have to go out there and execute. … The better team won tonight.”
The Pistons forced 21 turnovers and shot 63 percent from the field, while the Lakers were without Reaves, Hachimura and Vincent. James and Doncic combined for 47 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a Detroit team that seemed to capitalize on every miss.
“We definitely have to match their physical ability,” Doncic said. “That’s the whole point. We have to match how they play. You saw the referees let it go, so we should play (with) physicality, for sure.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick admitted that the Pistons were aggressive throughout the game and that Los Angeles had no answer.
“I think there’s probably a level of frustration when you’re turning the ball over and you feel like you’ve been fouled,” Redick said. “There’s certainly frustration. But I mean, again, I said it even here, we said it this morning: they’re going to foul every possession. You just have to play it.”
The The Lakers are now 20-11 on the season, and have lost four of their last five contests.
2025-12-31 14:09:00
