LeBron James Quotes Bible After Tiring Lakers Defeat to Trail Blazers

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James turns to faith after a shocking loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

LeBron James Quotes Bible After Tiring Lakers Defeat to Trail Blazers

4-time NBA champion LeBron James (Image via FirstSportz)

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LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are in a bit of a crisis at the moment. It was the first night of a back-to-back, and the Lakers suffered a 132-116 blowout to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Saturday night. Without Luka Doncic in the lineup and Austin Reaves still ruled out, it was up to James to shoulder the offensive burden.

The Lakers have now lost five of their last six games and are at risk of falling further down into the play-in spots. Consecutive losses have seen the Lakers drop to sixth in the Western Conference standings with a 24-16 record. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers continue their impressive form over the last few weeks and the win propelled them to 21-22 while they sit at ninth in the standings.

While LeBron James has been in extraordinary form since turning 41, it is a lot to expect from him at his current age. Doncic is the focal point of this team, and without the Slovenian in the lineup, it was always going to be a tall ask for the Lakers. With their offense taking a significant hit, their defense continues to have its struggle, especially against young and athletic teams. This has been one of the main reasons why critics do not view the Lakers as championship contenders this season.

After their disappointing loss, James posted a photo of a quote from the Bible in his Instagram story, and the caption was:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

It remains to be seen if Doncic recovers from his groin issues and James is able to suit up for their second night of a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors.

JJ Redick laments injuries after the loss

The number of injuries piling up has been rising with every passing season. It has been a matter of concern for the NBA for a while now. While all teams are faced with injuries throughout the season, the Lakers have struggled to field their ‘Big 3’ of Doncic, James, and Reaves for much of the season. Heading into Saturday, the Lakers were without four key players.

Head coach JJ Redick stated in his post-match press conference that this has been the Lakers’ story of the season.

LeBron James and JJ Redick
LeBron James and JJ Redick (Image via Hoops NBA/X)

This has been like the normal all season. We’ve won some games. We’ve actually beaten a bunch of good teams. You play a team the second time around sometimes, and you rewatch the game, and you’re like, ‘Oh s***, we didn’t have Austin [Reaves] that game,’ or ‘We didn’t have Luka [Doncic] that game,’ or ‘We didn’t have Rui [Hachimura] that game,’ or ‘We didn’t have [Deandre Ayton] that game.’ So, this has just been our season.

The Lakers may be more depleted on Monday with Marcus Smart hurting his knee during the game and with James highly unlikely to be available.

The schedule is about to get harder for the Lakers

After their game against the Raptors at the Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers are off on a long eight-game road trip. The timing isn’t ideal, as the Lakers are struggling with form, and with Reaves still ruled out, a lot more will be expected from a 41-year-old James.

The Lakers will be taking on the Denver Nuggets, cross-town rivals the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks, who are among the teams that could cause the Lakers significant problems.

Despite the tough road ahead, the Lakers have performed well on the road this season. They have gone 13-8 in their 21 away games so far. It is their home form that has been a matter of concern as their current record is 11-8 at the Crypto.com Arena. Till Reaves returns, a lot of the burden will fall on Doncic and James as they look to keep the Lakers in the top-six of the standings.

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