NBA

The black box of a nightmarish season for the Lakers

Published

4 years ago

April 6, 2022

Madelyn

The black box of a nightmarish season for the Lakers

Sportish opens the black box of the Lakers failure. Russell Westbrook, who never fitted into the team, the old roster, the injuries and the mistake with Caruso, in a season the Lakers were doomed to fail.

To fail. shipwreck. Fiasco. There are many words that can be used to describe this year’s Lakers season. And none of them are good.

The Lakers have been eliminated in playoff tournaments. It sounds unbelievable but it’s true. The loss to the Suns has mathematically put LA out of contention for a play-in tournament spot. A team that came together to aim for the championship, a team of 5 future Hall of Famers, not only made the playoffs but even made the top 10.

True, despite the fact that the Lakers were presented by many as favorites to win the title, many had their doubts. It was believed that the composition of the roster did not help this view, despite the stardust from the presence of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Still, no one expected the Lakers to end the season in 11th place in the West. But how did the Lakers get here?

The Westbrook Stock Exchange

It was July 30, 2021, when the Lakers traded Westbrook for the Wizards in a move involving five teams (Lakers, Wizards, Nets, Spurs, Pacers). To acquire him, they had to send Kyle Kuzma, Centavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezel Harrell to Washington. That is, three players of the basic rotation.

This step was received with concern by everyone. The reason is clear, as Westbrook’s style of play doesn’t seem to line up exactly with that of LeBron and Davis. Westbrook is a guard who traditionally wants the ball played in his hands. If this doesn’t happen then problems will start as he is a bad shot. Some have suggested he may have adjusted and changed his playing style in the interests of the Lakers. But if Westbrook has proven anything over the years, it’s that πάντα he’ll always be the same. And he had no intention of changing that at 33.

All these assumptions and fears were confirmed by the end of the season. Westbrook never adjusted to the Lakers as he just didn’t fit James and Davis on the ground. Since none of the three stars is a constant shooter and Davis wants to play as a power forward – Dwight Howard was often on the floor – the distances of the Lakers were bad. When the Lakers lowered form and grounded the shooter, then the defense was floating points. In general things were difficult.

The Error in the Caruso/Horton-Tucker and Nan Dilemma

After the Westbrook swap, the Lakers suddenly found themselves in a difficult position trying to keep Alex Caruso in the roster. The Explosive Guard’s $44 million contract left the Lakers with a choice between Caruso and parts Horton-Tucker because the high salary cap made it impossible to keep both. After some deliberation, they opted for the latter.

The Lakers justification was concrete: Horton-Tucker is 6 years younger (28 vs. 22), he can develop better, he is a positive defender and a better forward. At the same time, Razon Rondo was left and Kendrick Nann had already been taken over, so there was a backup point guard and Caruso was in surplus. All of this had a – relative – logic. But it turned out that everything was done on the wrong basis.

Caruso’s loss proved crucial for the Lakers as the current Bulls guard is one of the NBA’s best defenders on the ball. At the same time, Horton-Tucker started the season injured, lost the first month, and when he came back he had three good games in a row, but since then he didn’t seem to understand what his role would be.

In fact, of course, the Lakers’ real problem was that they never saw Nan on the floor. The young guard should give them solutions in organization and execution while he would be a consistent defender. But he ended up losing the whole season. Combined with Rondo’s anemic season — before he was handed off to the Cavaliers — the Lakers suddenly found themselves without a backup point guard.

LeBron, Davis and Westbrook played 21 games together

The fact is that the injuries did not leave the Lakers and Davis in particular. The All Star forward/center was unlucky for another season, losing 39 games. At the same time, LeBron lost another 23 games (and… counting). As a result, the trio of LeBron, Davis and Westbrook only lasted alongside each other on the floor for 21 of the season’s 79 games and didn’t have an opportunity to find chemistry.

This season, the Lakers’ 11 different trios of players spent more time on the ground than their star trio. In total, LeBron, James and Westbrook lived side by side for 393 minutes and 29 seconds this year while never playing more than 3 games in a row!

The chemistry of the three stars was problematic from the start. The -4 on the +/- system they averaged over that period, and the fact that the Lakers only had an 11-10 record in those 21 games, shows that – quite simply – something was wrong. Even so, owning one is out of reach for the average person.

A team doomed to fail

It sounds cynical, but it’s now more than clear: The Lakers were just a bad team. An old and full of failures that could only be lucky for something good in… video games.

The Lakers formed a team that aimed to have 8 players over the age of 32 in the base rotation. A team without players on the periphery, without enough shooters on LeBron’s side, without enough length in defense. A team that would have been great… 10 years ago when many of their squad players were in their dozen. But in the modern NBA, where speed, athleticism and peripheral shooting are paramount, the Lakers had none of it.

The Lakers were a team… doomed. And you don’t say that after a holiday. The mistakes in their squad had been highlighted since the summer. Mistakes seen by everyone but themselves. 11th place which will end the season is only representative of the season they had.

The next day is difficult

Now the Lakers need to make their plans for next season. Finding a way to be competitive while knowing that – barring the shocking unexpected – they won’t culminate in the first round, which logically will go to the Pelicans.

In the eyes of the world, the most obvious move is the Westbrook swap. But as the Lakers noted in the trade deadline, no team right now wants a veteran guard on their roster who isn’t the player they were and are expected to receive $47 million in the 2022-23 season. In the NBA, of course, it has proven that no contract is considered non-exchangeable.

Either way, the Lakers’ next day looks difficult. The LA team has no place in the salad cap, no draft pick and looks tired, aged and disappointed. This summer is expected to be very big.

Source: sport 24

Madelyn

I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.

NBA

ADETOKUMBO: “Disrespectful. Don’t ask me this question”

Published

1 day ago

December 28, 2025

Paula

ADETOKUMBO: “Disrespectful. Don’t ask me this question”

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo He gave a harsh response to the question about a possible trade to another NBA club:

“I’m here. Don’t ask me that question. It’s disrespectful to me and my teammates. I wear this jersey every day.

To say I don’t want to be here is disrespectful to the organization, the coaching staff, myself and everyone who worked hard to get me on the field. Don’t ask me this question. I am her. I’m going out in this uniform. And as long as I’m here, I’ll give it my all until the last second of the match.”

On the night of December 27-28, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player of the game with the Chicago Bulls – 112:103.

Source: Sport UA

Paula

I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.

NBA

NBA: Utah and Mikhailiuk created a sensation, Antetokounmpo’s brilliant return

Published

1 day ago

December 28, 2025

Paula

NBA: Utah and Mikhailiuk created a sensation, Antetokounmpo’s brilliant return

Nine games were played in the NBA regular season on the night of December 27-28.

“San Antonio” hosted “Utah” and suffered a sensational defeat.

Spurs had a good first quarter, during which they made a 15:2 spurt to take an 11-point lead at 30:19, but failed to build on it or at least maintain it. In the second quarter, the Jazz responded with a 25:5 attack and took the lead 62:51 with the same 11 points. Utah then kept the opponent at bay for more than 10 points until the middle of the fourth quarter, when Spurs equalized the score – 106:106, thanks to a 14:2 breakthrough. However, the home team could not achieve this success and failed at the end of the match. In the last three minutes of the game, San Antonio scored 2 points and lost them with a score of 2:11 and had a score of 114:127 throughout the match.

Svyatoslav Mikhayyuk He was in Utah’s starting five and stayed on the field for 14 minutes, during which time he scored 3 points (1/1 three-pointers), also made 1 rebound and 1 assist with 1 loss and 1 foul.

The most productive player of the match was Vembanyama, who brought 32 points to Spurs, but this did not help them achieve positive results. Jazz has 29 points from Markkanen and 28 points from George.

“Chicago” lost at home to “Milwaukee”, where Giannis Antetokounmpo returned.

The Bucks gained a minimal advantage in the first quarter and then gradually increased it, eventually winning all quarters of the match and winning with a score of 103:112.

In this game, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player, scoring 29 points for Milwaukee. Portis also scored a double-double for the guest team with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

NBA. Regular season, December 28

San Antonio – Utah – 114:127 (40:32, 20:38, 27:28, 27:29)

San Antonio: Vembanyama (32 + 7 rebounds + 5 blocks), Castle (20 + 7 assists), Vassell (11), Shempeni (4), Barnes (3) – start; K. Johnson (27 + 10 rebounds), Harper (7 + 7 rebounds + 12 assists), Cornet (7 + 8 rebounds), Brian (3), Sohan (0), McLaughlin (0), Waters (0).

Utah: Markkanen (29), George (28 + 6 assists), Nurkic (16 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Sensabaugh (11), Mikhailyuk (3) – start; Clayton (17), Williams (8), Collier (7), Filippovski (6 + 6 assists), Hendricks (2).

Chicago – Milwaukee – 103:112 (26:28, 24:26, 30:31, 23:27)

Chicago: White (16 + 5 losses), Vucevic (16 + 7 rebounds), Giddy (13 + 7 rebounds + 9 assists), Okoro (10), Buzelis (8) – start; Dosunmu (11), Collins (10 + 10 rebounds), Herter (7), Smith (6 + 10 rebounds), Jones (6 + 6 assists), Williams (0).

Milwaukee: Y. Antetokounmpo (29 + 8 rebounds), Rollins (20 + 7 rebounds), Turner (13), Porter (8 + 9 assists), Green (6) – start; Portis (17 + 11 rebounds), Kuzma (12), Sims (4), G. Harris (3).

Sacramento-Dallas-113:107 (31:23, 28:21, 29:33, 25:30)

sacramento: Westbrook (21 + 9 assists), Ellis (21), Reynaud (19), DeRozan (9 + 6 assists), Achiuwa (5 + 9 rebounds) – start; Schroeder (10), McDermott (9), Clifford (8+9 rebounds), Monk (7), Cardwell (4+8 rebounds).

dallas: Flagg (23 + 5 turnovers), Washington (17 + 4 blocks), Gafford (11 + 7 rebounds), Christie (9 + 7 rebounds), Nembhard (9) – start; Thompson (14), Marshall (11), Russell (7), Hardy (5), Powell (1 + 11 rebounds), Caleb Martin (0), Cisse (0).

New Orleans – Phoenix – 114:123 (33:32, 22:33, 30:28, 29:30)

New Orleans: Murphy (24), Quinn (21 + 11 rebounds), Fiers (18 + 8 rebounds), Bay (17), McGowens (0) – start; Williamson (22), Alvarado (7), Missy (4 + 8 rebounds), Poole (1), Peavy (0).

Phoenix: Booker (20), Brooks (18), Gillespie (17 + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), O’Neal (15), Ighodaro (8 + 10 rebounds) – start; Goodwin (16 + 9 rebounds), Buey (12), Williams (10 + 8 rebounds), Fleming (5), Richards (2), Livers (0).

Orlando-Denver-127:126 (23:31, 25:31, 36:31, 43:33)

orlando: Black (38), Bane (24 + 6 assists), Carter (18 + 7 rebounds), Banchero (12 + 6 assists), Jones (0 + 6 assists) – start; da Silva (17), Kane (7), Isaac (5), Richardson (4), Penda (2), Howard (0).

Denver: Jokic (34 + 21 rebounds + 12 assists), J. Murray (24), Hardaway (20), Watson (15), Jones (14) – start; Strother (13), Valanciunas (4), B. Brown (2), Pickett (0).

Atlanta – New York – 125:128 (27:33, 28:35, 34:30, 36:30)

of Atlanta: Okongwu (31 + 14 rebounds), Johnson (20 + 9 rebounds + 12 assists), Daniels (13 + 8 rebounds + 9 assists), Young (9 + 10 assists + 5 turnovers), Risache (4) – start; Alexander-Walker (25), Newell (12), Krejci (9), Kennard (2), Guay (0).

New York: Towns (36 + 16 rebounds), Brunson (34), Anunoby (15 + 10 rebounds), Bridges (14 + 8 assists), Diawara (5) – start; McCullar (13 + 8 rebounds), Robinson (6 + 9 rebounds), Clarkson (3), Colic (2).

Miami – Indiana – 142:116 (29:28, 30:32, 39:34, 44:22)

Miami: Wiggins (28), Powell (23), Larsson (16 + 7 assists), Weir (15 + 7 rebounds), Mitchell (0) – start; Jaques (28), Jovic (19 + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), Smith (5), Yakucionis (4), Johnson (2), Fontecchio (2), Gardner (0).

indiana: Siakam (33 + 7 rebounds + 5 losses), Maturin (25 + 5 losses), Nembhard (15 + 16 assists), Huff (11), Furphy (9 + 7 rebounds) – start; Nesmith (9), Jackson (4), Walker (3), Bradley (3), Jones (2), Potter (2), Thompson (0), Peter (0).

Minnesota – Brooklyn – 107:123 (30:33, 33:29, 23:36, 21:25)

Minnesota: Edwards (28 + 7 rebounds), McDaniels (16), Randle (13 + 11 assists), DiVincenzo (11 + 6 assists), Gobert (6 + 8 rebounds) – start; Reed (13), Dillingham (7), Clark (6), Hyland (4), Juzeng (3), Beranger (0), Miller (0).

Brooklyn: Porter (27 + 10 rebounds), Claxton (14), Clowney (11), Demin (7), Menn (2) – start; Thomas (30), Wolf (11), Sharpe (10), Powell (7), Traore (4), Wilson (0).

Houston – Cleveland – 117:100 (32:24, 28:22, 30:17, 27:37)

Houston: Durant (30 + 7 assists), Smith (15 + 7 rebounds), Thompson (13 + 9 rebounds), Eason (9), Adams (9 + 8 rebounds) – start; Sheppard (18 + 8 assists + 5 steals), Okogie (8), Capela (4 + 8 rebounds), Davison (3), Green (3), Finney-Smith (3), A. Holiday (2), Tate (0).

cleveland: Mitchell (16 + 6 assists), Merrill (13), Garland (12), Wade (6), Allen (6) – starts; Tyson (23 + 15 rebounds), Proctor (7), Bryant (7 + 7 rebounds), E. Mobley (4), Hunter (2), Porter (2), Ball (2).

Source: Sport UA

Paula

NBA

NBA: Utah with Mikhailyuk sensationally beat Detroit and other results of the night

Published

2 days ago

December 27, 2025

Paula

NBA: Utah with Mikhailyuk sensationally beat Detroit and other results of the night

Nine regular season games took place in the NBA on the night of December 26-27.

Utah hosted the Eastern Conference leader and won a sensational victory.

The first half of the match was spent with a small lead for the Pistons, who kept their opponent one or two shots away most of the time and entered the long break with a 1-point lead at 68:67. The decisive factor in the match was the third quarter; In this quarter, Jazz made a 16:3 move and took the lead by 12 points, 90:78. The home team had the advantage in the score, but Detroit gradually reduced the gap and 19 seconds before the siren, after two free throws by Cunningham, they equalized the score – 129:129. However, the match did not go to overtime – Utah took advantage of the remaining time with the efforts of George, who scored a two-pointer 3 seconds before the siren – 131:129.

Svyatoslav Mikhayyuk He stayed on the field for 21 minutes and recorded 9 points (3/4 two-pointers, 1/2 three-pointers), as well as 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

The most productive player was George, who scored 31 points for Utah, while Nurkic had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

NBA. Regular season, December 27

Utah-Detroit-131:129 (33:36, 34:32, 44:35, 20:26)

Utah: George (31 + 7 rebounds + 8 assists), Markkanen (30), Nurkic (16 + 11 rebounds), Mikhailyuk (9), Bailey (0) – start; Sensabaugh (20), Love (14), Collier (9 + 9 assists + 5 turnovers), Filipovski (2), Hendricks (0), Clayton (0).

Detroit: Cunningham (29 + 17 assists), Harris (16 + 7 rebounds), D. Robinson (14), Düren (11), Thompson (8) – start; Ivey (11), LeVert (11), Holland (11), Green (8), Jenkins (6), Stewart (4), Reed (0).

Atlanta-Miami-111:126 (32:32, 19:31, 33:27, 27:36)

of Atlanta: Young (30 + 6 assists), Johnson (24 + 9 rebounds + 10 assists), Okongwu (12 + 7 rebounds), Daniels (8), Risache (5) – start; Alexander-Walker (15), Krejci (11), Gueye (4), Newell (2), Wallace (0).

Miami: Powell (25 + 7 rebounds), Larsson (21), Wiggins (18 + 8 rebounds), Ware (16 + 13 rebounds), Mitchell (6 + 7 assists) – start; Jaques (16), Jovic (10 + 7 rebounds), Yakucionis (8), Smith (6).

Washington – Toronto – 138:117 (35:32, 38:30, 29:38, 36:17)

washington: George (23), McCollum (21), Coulibaly (21 + 8 rebounds), Sarr (15), Middleton (6) – start; Carrington (15), Johnson (12), Shempeny (8+7 rebounds), Riley (8), Bagley (6), Brenham (3), Watkins (0), Vukcevic (0), Johnson (0).

toronto: Ingram (29), Quickley (25), Barnes (14 + 7 assists), Mamukelashvili (13 + 11 rebounds), Agbadji (8) – start; Walter (15), Shed (6), Dick (5), Lawson (2), Temple (0), Bettle (0), Mobo (0).

Indiana-Boston-122:140 (39:28, 22:47, 30:36, 31:29)

indiana: Nembhard (18 + 8 assists + 5 losses), Maturin (13), Siakam (11), Huff (9), Jackson (6) – starts; McConnell (13), Walker (12), Thompson (11 + 6 assists), Furphy (9), Potter (9), Jones (4), Bradley (4), Peter (3).

Boston: Brown (30), Pritchard (29 + 9 rebounds), White (21 + 6 assists), Keta (8 + 7 rebounds), Walsh (3) – start; Houser (23), Garza (15), Simons (8), Scheierman (3), Gonzalez (0).

Orlando-Charlotte-105:120 (28:38, 20:19, 29:39, 28:24)

orlando: Black (24), Carter (16 + 8 rebounds), Bane (15 + 10 rebounds), Banchero (13), Jones (8) – start; Richardson (14) and Silva (8), Kane (5), Isaac (2), Howard (0), Penda (0), O. Robinson (0).

Charlotte: Ball (22 + 7 rebounds + 6 for loss), Knippel (16), Bridges (16 + 11 rebounds), Miller (15), Diabate (10 + 13 rebounds) – start; Hall (14 + 8 rebounds), Sexton (13), Hall (7), Green (6), Connaughton (1), James (0), Mann (0).

Chicago – Philadelphia – 109:102 (30:28, 19:24, 32:33, 28:17)

Chicago: White (13 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Giddy (12 + 11 assists + 5 turnovers), Buzelis (10 + 8 rebounds), Okoro (8), Vucevic (7 + 7 rebounds) – start; Collins (15), Jones (15), Smith (12 + 8 rebounds), Herter (9), Dosunmu (8).

Philadelphia: Embiid (31), Maxey (27 + 8 assists), George (15 + 12 rebounds), Edgecombe (10 + 7 rebounds), Barlow (7) – start; McCain (6), Drummond (2), Grimes (2), Bona (1), Walker (1), Edwards (0).

Memphis – Milwaukee – 125:104 (25:35, 35:15, 32:33, 33:21)

Memphis: Jaren Jackson (24 + 9 rebounds + 5 blocks), Morant (17 + 10 assists), Coward (15), Wells (14), Aldama (12 + 7 rebounds) – starter; Spencer (19), Caldwell-Pope (13), Jackson (7), Koloko (4), Small (0).

Milwaukee: Green (20), Porter (16 + 8 rebounds + 7 turnovers), Portis (15 + 12 rebounds), Kuzma (15 + 8 rebounds), Turner (8) – starts; Rollins (15), G. Harris (8), Jackson (3), Coffey (2), Sims (2), Anthony (0), Nance (0), T. Antetokounmpo (0).

New Orleans – Phoenix – 108:115 (23:26, 25:27, 32:28, 28:34)

new orleans: Murphy (19), Fiers (9), Bay (9), Quinn (7 + 7 rebounds), McGowens (4) – start; Williamson (20 + 8 rebounds + 6 assists), Poole (19 + 6 assists), Alvarado (11), Missy (7), Matkovic (3), Peavy (0).

Phoenix: Booker (30 + 9 rebounds), Williams (24 + 13 rebounds), Gillespie (16 + 9 assists), Brooks (14), O’Neal (3) – start; Dunn (9 + 8 rebounds), Ighodaro (6), Fleming (6), Goodwin (4), Buey (3).

Portland – Clippers – 103:119 (35:25, 27:31, 16:29, 25:34)

Portland: Avdija (29 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists + 6 turnovers), Kamara (20), Sharpe (16), Clingan (10 + 8 rebounds), Murray (4 + 7 rebounds) – start; Love (14), Ruper (5), R. Williams (4 + 12 rebounds), Sissoko (1), Rith (0).

cutting machines: Harden (34 + 6 assists), B. Lopez (31), Lenard (28 + 8 rebounds + 6 assists), Collins (8), Dunn (7) – start; Sanders (5), Miller (3), Batum (3), Bogdanovich (0), Christie (0), Niederhäuser (0).