It's not a good sign that the Los Angeles Lakers have been asked about their reactions to displeased fans at Crypto.com Arena more than wins on their home court. Then again, the former has become the more common occurrence, as of late.

Unlike in recent losses to the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and New Orleans Pelicans, the boo birds at Crypto (the Crypto Crows?) were largely subdued throughout the Lakers' five-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. The fans sounded unsurprised and defeated when their squad went down by 20 points in the first half, but audibly came alive when the Lakers reclaimed the lead. A few boos rained down after the final buzzer sounded, cinching the Lakers 10th loss in 13 games.

At least the spirited second-half and the quality of competition rendered the product less embarrassing than their no-show against the Pelicans on Sunday.

During that nationally televised contest, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and the soft-spoken Trevor Ariza could be seen engaging in a heated dialogue with folks in the stands as frustrations boiled over.

“What do you know about basketball besides the ball going in or not going in?' James seemed to ask the spectator in the footage.

“I don't give a f*ck what you are — you're a b*tch!”‘ Ariza shouted before being restrained by his teammates.

After the Mavs game, LeBron — who led Los Angeles with 26 points and 12 rebounds — was belatedly asked about the incident. He clarified that he has always been willing to clap back when he takes offense to certain remarks.

“If you've followed my career, I will get into it with a fan. So that was nothing out of ordinary for me,” he said. “No matter if it's a home crowd or someone on the opposing side. If you're cheering or booing, that's fine, but this guy was literally trying to tell me how to play basketball…That was all that was. You can't tell me how to play basketball. Not him. Not that guy.”

(You probably recall LeBron having the “Courtside Karen” removed from her seat at an Atlanta Hawks game in Feb. 2021. and a similar incident occurring vs. the Indiana Pacers in November. Westbrook, too, is no stranger to testy fan altercations.)

On Tuesday, the fans were back on the Lakers' side during their 31-14 third-quarter surge.

“Listen, I ride or die with the Laker faithful. So they boo, I’m with ’em; they scream, I’m with ’em,” LeBron continued. “I’m 20 years into this league, I don’t care about a boo here, a boo there, a cheer. Whatever they want to do, let’s do it. We’re all together.”

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1bS8UiZo3SFCm4SvDh5uv5?si=01cee24915c3430e

A few weeks prior, Westbrook called being booed by his hometown crowd a “sign of respect.”

“Nah,” Westbrook added on Sunday when asked if the boos stick with him when he leaves the arena. “Take it home? For what? S*it. Take it home? I got three beautiful kids at my house. Why would I take it home? If they boo, they can take their ass home. I ain't worried about that. It doesn't bother me none…As for our team, I don't think it's something we got to deal with. And kind of move forward.”

Probably not the stuff the Lakers imagined they'd be talking about in March … in Los Angeles.