The Los Angeles Lakers came up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night in another tough matchup against a Western Conference contender. Anthony Davis was out of action in this one too, due to lower back tightness, so it was up to LeBron James to carry much of the load for an embattled Lakers side.

LeBron did just that against a hungry Timberwolves side, and at one point in the game, the Lakers superstar set another all-time scoring record. Right now, James has the most 20-point games in NBA history with a grand total of 1,135 (h/t NBA on Twitter):

That's impressive. It speaks volumes of LeBron's longevity and consistency. I mean, the man is still a dominant force in the NBA at age 37.

Unfortunately for him, the Lakers need to see more from him if he wants to get his team out of the deep, deep hole they've dug for themselves. LA entered Friday's game without a win in four games, and it goes without saying that this team is struggling mightily right now.

They're not going to get any favors either. Everyone in the NBA knows how bad things are for the Lakers right now, and every single opposing team would not pass up the opportunity to further add to their misery.

At this point, the harsh reality for LeBron James is that it looks like he's headed for another wasted year in Hollywood. It's still way too early, for sure, but based on what we've seen from this team thus far, it seems like this is the direction they're headed to.