LeBron James said the Lakers need to make more shots to win games, adding that against Portland, the short whistle and free-throw disparity made it difficult to ever gain control of the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost again on Saturday night, falling 132-116 to the Portland Trail Blazers on the road. The defeat marked their fifth loss in the last six games.
Los Angeles Lakers / Schedule
The 41-year-old LeBron James finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, but he was clearly not in a good mood after the game.
When asked how the Lakers need to grind out wins at this stage of the season, given their health situation, LeBron gave a blunt response.
"Score more points than our opponent," he said.
When the reporter followed up by asking how they would do that, James replied, "Make more shots than our opponent."
Credit AP - Scanpix
The Lakers dropped to a 24-16 record and were shorthanded once again.
Leading scorer Luka Doncic, who tops the league with an average of 33.6 points per game, missed the contest due to left groin soreness. Starting center Deandre Ayton was also out with left knee soreness.
"You go out with the unit that's available. Try to execute," LeBron said. "Offensively and defensively, as well as you can. That's all you can ask for.
"At the end of the day, nobody's feeling sorry for us, and nor are we looking for it," James added. "So, the guys that's available, we gotta go out there and play our game. Play the way we want to play offensively and defensively."
Credit AP - Scanpix
Officiating was another topic following the loss. The Lakers attempted 21 free throws, while Portland went to the line 34 times.
"I thought the whistle was very short in the first quarter," LeBron noted. "I think it was like 22 free throws for them in the first quarter. It's hard to set your defense with that type of situation. We gave ourselves a chance a couple of times, but it was an uphill battle.
"I didn't think that we were doing something that was like outlandish or was warranted of certain calls or whatever the case may be. I thought we had bodies in front of guys. Yeah, it was just a couple of calls that were difficult. But it is what it is. That's the game."
The Lakers will look to bounce back when they host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
Thank you for being with us! Subscribe to BN+ and browse ad-free.
If you like our content, please click here and add us as your preferred source. It helps us a lot, and we are committed to delivering you the very latest basketball news.