The Lakers had a golden opportunity.
An eight-game homestand spanning 2 1/2 weeks from before the All-Star Game (which was in Los Angeles) through Tuesday against Orlando.
Consider it squandered.
The Lakers went 4-4, punctuated by a 110-109 loss to the Magic. This was the Lakers’ chance to climb the extremely crowded Western Conference standings. Instead, they hung one-handed on a rung with their legs treading the air.
Lakers coach JJ Redick’s assessment of the Lakers’ longest home stretch of the season?
“We’re a work in progress,” he said.
As for James, he didn’t hesitate when asked if this was a blown opportunity.
“Yeah,” he deadpanned.
The Lakers’ loss to the Magic especially stung because the effort was there, something that couldn’t be said of their 111-89 stinker against the Celtics on Sunday.
But something else was lacking this time around: Clarity.
On the final play, with the Lakers trailing by one point and just over 6 seconds left, Doncic caught the ball ahead of the 3-point line and was open. But instead of creating a shot or driving, he dribbled once and then threw a grenade to James, who was forced to heave a 27-foot 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left that rimmed out.
Said Doncic: “I shouldn’t have picked up the ball. I should have attacked. …That’s on me.”
Added James: “I thought [Doncic] had a good look and it looked like he kinda just lost his balance, you know. Didn’t have a rhythm with the ball, whatever the case may be. And it kinda allowed them to get back in front of him. And I was kind of off-balance when he gave it to me. I thought he had a great look. That’s my POV.”
It was a microcosm of everything that’s wrong with the Big Three.
There’s too much deferring. There’s confusion over what to do when. There’s so many stars but no clear constellation.
For the Lakers, Tuesday’s loss was frustrating. They led by as many as 12 points in the second half in a grind-it-out game that had 13 lead changes and eight ties.
Sure, the Lakers were outrebounded, 47-39, and they gave up 58 points in the paint. But this game also saw Doncic diving over courtside seats for a loose ball, James dunking as though he were two decades younger and Austin Reaves recovering from going scoreless in the first half to finish with 18 points. Deandre Ayton even played with force.
The Lakers wanted this one.
But there are no moral victories in the Western Conference, especially against a Magic team that was missing Franz Wagner (ankle) and Jalen Suggs (back).
During this homestand, the Lakers beat the 76ers without Paul George, the Warriors without Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, a Mavericks team that’s in tank-mode and a Clippers team that sat Kawhi Leonard in the final 5 minutes and 10 seconds because of ankle soreness.
None of those were wins to write home about.
In addition to the Lakers falling to the Magic and Celtics, they dropped games against the Spurs and Thunder, the top two teams in the West.
Sure, the Lakers were without Doncic (hamstring) in four of their eight games, including missing him, James and Reaves against the Spurs on Feb. 10 in the second leg of a back-to-back. But still, this was the team’s longest homestand of the season and a unique chance to make up some ground.
“We just got to be more consistent,” said Doncic who had 22 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds against the Magic. “I think we should have won a couple more games, so we got to be more consistent.”
The funniest part of this all is the Lakers’ record is 34-23. It’s pretty dang good. In fact, they’re only 1 1/2 games behind the third-place Houston Rockets.
They’re still very much in the thick of things.
But for some reason, home court hasn’t been much of an advantage for the Lakers this season. They have a higher winning percentage on the road (18-11, 62%) than at home (16-12, 57%),
When asked why, James himself was stumped.
“I don’t know,” said James, who had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Lakers are a good team. But they can’t seem to get their act together enough to be thought of as real contenders.
This was a chance to stop knocking on the door and kick it open.
But instead, their effort ebbed and flowed and they fell from fifth in the West to sixth in their extended stay in front of their home crowd.
It was a missed chance for a team that needed an infusion of belief in itself.
Rather, they were left more confused than ever.