Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James took accountability for his costly mistake in their loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
The Lakers were up 115-110 in the final 13 seconds of the game. While L.A. blew an 18-point lead during the contest, everyone thought they were headed for a win considering the advantage they have with very little time left.
However, to the surprise of many, the Bulls made back-to-back triples in quick succession. The biggest turning point was when James made an inbounding error, allowing Josh Giddey to steal the ball and eventually pass it to Coby White for a 3-pointer.
After the Bulls took the lead, the Lakers were still able to score and take the lead, thanks to a tough lay-up from Austin Reaves. Unfortunately, a Josh Giddey half-court buzzer-beater gave Chicago the victory.
The results would have probably been different had LeBron James inbounded the ball better. After all, it would be difficult for the Bulls to foul at that point, and all the Lakers needed to do was let the clock run out.
In his postgame presser, James admitted his mistake and emphasized it was a “bad miscommunication.”
“We put ourselves in a position to win,” James shared, per Jacob Rude of SB Nation. “Horrible turnover by myself. Bad miscommunication the play before that. AR still hit a big bucket to try to save us and you tip your hat if someone hits a game-winner from half court.
LeBron James was coming off of a buzzer-beating game-winner himself during their Wednesday clash with the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately for him, his shortcomings this time were clear, especially during such a crucial moment when fans expect him to be locked in and step up.
The Lakers forward finished with 17 points and 12 assists, but at the end of the day, what people will remember is his crucial error.
