After losing two straight games, the Los Angeles Lakers went up against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday in the hopes of avoiding losing three games in a row. The 76ers were already on a three-game losing streak as they hosted LeBron James and co. on their home court. This was the first meeting between the two teams this season, looking to set the momentum for their upcoming matchups in the season.?
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The Lakers were majorly short-handed in their last game against the Toronto Raptors. Even though a lot of players got playing time that usually don’t get to play, the Lakers could?ve used some help.
The longest-tenured player on the Lakers is LeBron James
Both the leading scorers of the team were ruled out of the game against the Toronto Raptors. Anthony Davis was ruled out of the game as he displayed symptoms of illness. And LeBron James sat out of the game due to soreness in his left ankle.?
However, there was one stat displayed for LeBron James which literally had fans in disbelief. Apparently, James is currently the longest-tenured player on the Los Angeles Lakers roster right now.
Fans had plenty to say about this stat online. One fan tweeted, ?Almost like he traded the entire roster to pursue rings.?
Almost like he traded the entire roster to pursue rings
— Bartholomew Willijax (@B_Willijax) December 10, 2022
While another fan commented, ?It?s wild to think LeBron is the reason why he?s the longest tenured player.?
It’s wild to think LeBron is the reason why he’s the longest tenured player
— Ozair Hussain 🇵🇸 (@ozairh18) December 10, 2022
Here are some more reactions from NBA Twitter:
Is it really?
The dude is notorious for showing up and having everyone traded away
— Harold L. Stokes (@HaroldLStokes) December 10, 2022
How the F is that wild. That’s what Lebron does. He shows up, gets rid of everybody and brings his boys in. Classic LBJ.
— YouB21Hooper (@YouB21Hooper) December 10, 2022
Yeah he nuked the roster that had many promising players that went on to be successful elsewhere so we could get 1 pandemic championship in the bubble and will continue to hurt for years to come with surrendering so many draft picks for AD
— Shaun (@1ShaunBurke) December 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/MarkBelcher85/status/1601395368817700864?s=20&t=RsejU8NYsS2WA4I23d6Tew
Many fans suggested that LeBron James traded away most of the roster to meet his needs and requirements. And even though the Lakers did win a ring in 2020, they are seemingly paying the price for it now.
The Lakers have struggled this season
The Lakers have constantly been dealing with injuries that have kept arguably their best players off the court. It is all about staying healthy now for the Lakers. Furthermore, LeBron James is possibly nearing the end of his career, so the team?s offense is perhaps shifting to Anthony Davis.?
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But the team undoubtedly won?t have much success if Davis keeps spending time off the court due to injuries. Davis just came off a 55 and 44-point performance in the last two games that the Lakers won.?
Watch This Story – From Dwyane Wade to Anthony Davis, the best teammates of LeBron James throughout his NBA career
?If it weren?t for an illness, the Lakers would?ve probably won their matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers as well, the game where Davis was taken out after only playing 8 minutes.?
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The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers 133-122 in the end. 76ers star Joel Embiid led the team with 38 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists on the night. For the Lakers, Davis scored 31 points and 11 rebounds, while James registered 23 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds in the game.
The Lakers are now 10-15 for the season, sitting in 13th place on the Western Conference table. Do you think the Lakers will make it to the playoffs this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.