The Los Angeles Lakers lost in disappointing fashion to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night in the last game played at the arena known as the Staples Center. Defense was once again an issue for the Lakers, who allowed 138 points to the Spurs. While the team fell short, Lakers stars LeBron James and Russell Westbrook achieved an impressive individual accolade, breaking a 49-year-old franchise record in the loss.
LeBron James and Russell Westbrook are the first Lakers duo with 30-point games at 33 years of age or older since Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain did it on Feb. 22, 1972 per @ESPNStatsInfo. Rest of the Lakers scored 44 points combined tonight.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) December 24, 2021
That is impressive Lakers company for LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. Los Angeles has a rich history- and Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain are two of the greatest to ever put on Lakers threads.
Both West and Chamberlain aged like fine wine and that appears to be happening for both LeBron and Westbrook, who had their shots falling at impressive clips on a night when not many other Lakers were shooting the ball well.
In fact, the rest of the Lakers combined for just 44 points, while LeBron and Westbrook did their best Wilt and Jerry impersonations en route to a combined 66 points.
These individual accolades are impressive for LeBron and Westbrook but they also highlight another Lakers problem, besides the poor defense.
This Los Angeles squad doesn't have a whole lot of room for error if LeBron or Westbrook aren't on top of their games, especially when Anthony Davis isn't playing. Granted, the team isn't going to shoot just 18.5 percent from three every night.
More shots will fall for the rest of the Lakers but while it's cool to see LeBron James and Russell Westbrook break Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West's record, it's more concerning that Los Angeles wasted such historic performances in a loss to the Spurs.
Follow Us
Subscribe