LeBron James closes in on scoring record, but is Kyrie Irving still in the picture?

Rely it out: 5 seconds. Hardly sufficient time for something significant to occur within the first 47 minutes of an NBA sport.

However Saturday night, 5 dangerous seconds on the finish of the third quarter shifted the sport dramatically and helped ship the Lakers dwelling losers, 131-126 to the New Orleans Pelicans, who had misplaced their final 10 video games.

The Lakers (25-29) fell to thirteenth within the 15-team Western Convention, however nonetheless simply two video games out of a spot within the play-in match.

New Orleans led for simply 13 seconds earlier than storming previous L.A. within the fourth quarter, powered by the Lakers’ disastrous end to the third quarter, which began with a simple bucket by the Pelicans that was adopted by a reckless inbounds move, a Pelicans steal and a momentum-swinging three.

They’re the sorts of letdowns which have led to rising frustration contained in the Lakers locker room, over what coach Darvin Ham calls “self-inflicted” errors.

Saturday, the errors — none bigger than Wenyen Gabriel’s inbounds move — proved deadly.

“What number of video games do we have now left?” LeBron James mentioned after scoring 27 factors, pulling him to inside 36 of passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA report.

“Twenty-eight video games left, we’re nonetheless doing the identical stuff again and again.”

Adjustments might be coming — the commerce deadline is Thursday. However after a day of rampant hypothesis, there’s pessimism that the Lakers will swing a deal for Kyrie Irving, due to the star Brooklyn level guard’s contract calls for in free company this summer season, sources with information of the scenario not licensed to talk publicly advised The Instances.

Irving is predicted to hunt a four-year most contract, with the Lakers preferring a two-year deal, aligning with the 2 years remaining on James’ deal.

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving controls the ball throughout a sport towards the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 2.

(Frank Franklin II / Related Press)

Requested if Irving is the kind of participant who may assist get the Lakers nearer to contending for a championship, James mentioned after all.

“Clearly that’s a — what’s the phrase you utilize? — ‘duh’ query while you discuss a participant that like that,” he added.

The Lakers’ present star level guard, Russell Westbrook, who has been in commerce rumors for a lot of his time in L.A., denied the deadline was negatively affecting the locker room, as did Anthony Davis and James.

“That’s a part of the sport,” James mentioned. “We’ve acquired, what, one rookie in right here. Shouldn’t be a difficulty. Occurs yearly. The commerce deadline occurs each single 12 months.”

After scoring 72 factors within the first half and main by 12, the Lakers lazily defended within the second half, constructing to the game-changing closing seconds of the third.

With the Lakers forward by eight within the closing 10 seconds, Westbrook took his eye off C.J. McCollum, the Pelicans guard simply attending to the basket for 2 of his 23 factors. Gabriel threw a brutal cross-court move that McCollum tipped and Jose Alvarado intercepted, the Pelicans guard hitting a 3 to chop the Lakers’ result in three, igniting the group.

It’s the sort of steal Alvarado is thought for and a play the Lakers mentioned of their scouting report. It started a stretch by which the Pelicans scored 14 of the subsequent 16 factors and L.A. by no means led once more.

“In that juncture of the sport, it’s disheartening. It’s disappointing. However, I imply, you simply gotta bear in mind. All antennas must be up,” Ham mentioned. “You need to continually attempt to be enhance possession by possession by possession on either side of the ball. And we simply had a lapse. We had a psychological lapse.”

After sturdy late play in wins at New York and Indiana, the Lakers bungled the tip Saturday, making simply seven of their final 21 photographs. Davis, who scored 34 factors, had simply two within the fourth.

Westbrook, who was questionable due to an sickness earlier than being cleared at sport time, performed solely 58 seconds within the quarter, Ham electing to shut the sport with James, Davis, Patrick Beverley, Dennis Schroder and Troy Brown Jr.

Former Laker Brandon Ingram scored 35 factors to guide the Pelicans.

The Lakers return dwelling for Tuesday’s sport towards Oklahoma Metropolis with James in attain of the report.

“I simply wish to win,” he mentioned. “Need to play the sport the best method and see what occurs.”