LeBron knows the Lakers blew an opportunity, but sees chance for a comeback

DENVER—”LeBrick” was trending on Twitter, so too was “stop shooting threes,” as LeBron James walked off the floor after the Los Angeles Lakers 108-103 Game 2 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

James went 9-of-19 from the field for 22 points as he pushed his deep-range shooting to 0-for-10 through two games, as his team fell down 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals. James, one of the greatest players in league history, could only walk off staring at a camera that impeded his path as the Lakers readied to board a flight back to Southern California.

LeBron James is fed up with the cameraman 😅pic.twitter.com/7aIjqfrEKJ

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 19, 2023

The King looked unmonarchical in the game, blowing three bunnies in the game including a blooper-reel blown dunk on the break. If there was ever going to be a passing of the torch from one league great to another as one heads off into the sunset, this series may be it.

Father Time > The King pic.twitter.com/V9Kfmh6FoZ

— Denver Sports (@DenverSportsCom) May 19, 2023

“My opportunity was to get us 10, and instead we have an eight-point deficit,” James said. “Unforced turnover by myself. Horrible, especially on the road.

But James didn’t see that as a lone big mess up by the Lake Show. L.A. was up 11 multiple times in the second half but couldn’t hang on.

“The same thing in the third, I missed a three. I believe we’re up five. Jamal Murray tried to save it and swing it, get a good look but we have an opportunity to hold and not take the shot with a five-point lead,” James said. “Instead they get the ball, Joker pushes it, get a bucket. I thought it was a great block but they called a goaltending. Instead of five, we are up three, there’s a moment and place for both of them.”

James fell to the floor multiple times on Thursday including in the fourth quarter where Denver started on a 20-5 run. James has been nursing a foot injury that has plagued him most of the season. Every time he was on the court, he re-tied his shoes, tightening them ever-so-more as the Lakers lead avalanched into a giant game-winning Nuggets run in the fourth. James was even down with just a minute to play forcing his team to play four-on-five, but Austin Reaves bailed him out with a deep-range banker to keep L.A. in the game.

James said he’ll be good to go for Game 3 but he was being evaluated postgame after he said he landed on somebody’s foot.

James’ Lakers were bailed out by 26 trips to the line, only four of which came in the fourth quarter. Jamal Murray took that last period to cook the Lakers, going for 23 points, more than James or any of his Laker teammates scored in the entire game. Murray played sidekick to Nikola Jokic who again recorded a triple-double as he carried Denver for most of the night as is the reason the Nuggets are up 2-0.

“This is not the NCAA tournament, it’s the first team four wins, and we have an opportunity to go home and play basketball and hold serve,” James said. “Until the team beats you four times then you always have an opportunity to come back.”

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