The entire Los Angeles Lakers squad continues to ride on the momentum of their undisputed leader in Lebron James. His nightly mindset tends to become his team’s nightly mindset. However, this characteristic also turns out to be a double-edged sword as his teammates usually follow whenever he gets careless and lets off the gas, similar to what happened in Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals.

The four-time NBA MVP racked up his usual numbers and flirted with a near triple-double performance for the nth time in the playoffs with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. However, it was his eight turnovers that proved costly to the team and ultimately hurt their chances of winning the crucial game.

Being the veteran leader that he is, James atoned for his errors and vowed to be better in the coming games for his team:

“It starts with myself, being the starting point guard of the team, having five first-half turnovers, eight total for the game,” he said. “Can’t do that. … I take full responsibility for that.”

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His running mate in forward Anthony Davis was also bothered with early foul trouble to which he only ended with a meager output of 15 points and five rebounds.

Looking on the bright side, veteran forward Markieff Morris came off the bench and stepped up with 19 points and six rebounds while Kyle Kuzma also added 19 points of his own. Their efforts were put to waste as the Lakers ultimately succumbed to the Heat on a 115-104 outcome.

James will once again be on the forefront as his squad aims to come out with a bounce-back performance in Game 4. The Purple and Gold will aim to shift the momentum back on their side and be a game closer to reaching their ultimate goal of lifting the franchise's 17th title.