Multiple hours before the Lakers were set to tip-off in Boston against the East-leading Celtics, LA’s dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis outed themselves as losers who are no longer to be taken seriously as competitors, regardless of whether their team won or lost the primetime TNT game. Being paid handsomely to help their squad cling to ninth place in the Western Conference, both James and Davis instead clung to the bench for the first time this season after having been ruled out on Thursday afternoon because of a left ankle injury and an Achilles tendon issue accompanied by left hip spasms, respectively. As such, a game between the rival franchises that are tied for the most titles in NBA history (17) was turned into a flat can of orange or green Fanta: no fizz, no juice.
Are both James, who played 36 minutes and scored 20 points in the Lakers’ 138-122 loss at Atlanta on Tuesday, and Davis, who sat out the win over the Hawks, a bit banged-up right now? Sure. But at this point in the season, almost everyone in the league is dealing with something. Prior to last night, James (44) and Davis (46) both played in the majority of the Lakers’ 49 games this season, and they could have suited up for LA’s 50th contest if they really wanted to. But, they saw a challenge. They saw a loss. They saw looking bad on TNT. So they sat.
LeBron James Is the Protagonist of Two Conflicting American Tales
An excerpt from Valerie Babb’s “The Book of James: The Power, Politics, and Passion of LeBron”As it turns out, that may have been for the best. The Lakers, who were huge underdogs playing on the road without their two best players, were able to knock off the Celtics 114-105 as Austin Reaves scored a season-high 32 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers to lead LA.
“We’re all talented players. And this was an opportunity to show the world what you can do,” Reaves said. “Before the game we come to together and was like, ‘Look, the least we can do is we can do is go out there and play as hard as we can and live with the results.’”
Fans who probably shelled out big bucks to see Davis and James got the level of game they paid to watch, albeit without the players they paid to see. The product ended up being good, but it was falsely advertised. It’s just another example that when it comes to NBA tickets and stars sitting, buyer beware.
Asked after Tuesday’s loss what he was going to tell his teammates ahead of the team’s game against the Celtics, James made no mention of his ankle injury and gave a simple response: “Just go out and do your job.”
On Thursday, he didn’t do his, nor did Davis. It was a joke, but the Lakers got the last laugh. They won’t next time — if there is one.
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