WATCH: LeBron James Takes Flight and Punishes the Rim With Insane Jackhammer Dunk

The Los Angeles Lakers are up against the best team in the league tonight. They battle with the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Arena, as they fight to return to the top. However, with Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder missing, the responsibility again falls on LeBron James.

The Lakers had a decent start and were just one point behind the Jazz after the first quarter. But the Jazz kept their foot on the gas and started an excellent run in the second quarter. As they kept piling on the points, LeBron was doing his best to stop them.

Sophomore Talen Horton-Tucker slipped a pass to LeBron who came charging at the rim. He took flight before finishing it with an emphatic dunk.

As he came closer to the rim, Jazz center Rudy Gobert jumped to the side immediately. He didn’t want to end up on a poster and quickly moved as he watched LeBron finish athletically.

LeBron James needs more support from his team

The loss of AD and Schroder is hitting the Lakers hard. Those two not only offered a lot on offense but also helped the Lakers’ defense. In their absence, the Lakers have had minimal effort on defense, which is why teams have walked all over them. They have won just once in their last five games, and this is going to be an inevitable fifth loss in six games.

At halftime, the Lakers were down by 16 points with the scores at 47-63. The Jazz continued their offensive excellence, shooting 56% from the field. Their three-point barrage was also too much for the Lakers, as they shot 14-23 from three, which is a superb 60%.

Some teams combat great offense with their own offense, but the Lakers are unable to do that as well. They have shot just 43% from the field and are struggling to get their offense going.

LeBron was leading them with 10 points, shooting 4-6 from the field. When his teammates are struggling, LeBron should have taken more responsibility and taken more shots. But it could also be exhaustion from carrying the team on his back since AD’s injury. He has been overworked since then, and the Lakers have failed to rally behind him.

They face the Blazers and the Warriors at home next and will hope to improve or get served with more Ls.

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