Lakers give fans spooky Halloween with near loss

Lakers played well out the gate but almost choked it away late.

The Lebron James era for Los Angeles Lakers fans is going about as well as expected for anybody who had realistic expectations for this ragtag team.  Coming out the gate, the Lakers looked like they were on a mission to get their asses off the court quick and go trick or treating, jumping out to a 38-21 lead at the end of the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks.

Staples Center was rocking, the fast break was beautiful, and every player looked to be having the time of their damn lives. The second quarter was a different story, with the  Mavericks chipping away, and cutting the once 17 points lead down to 10 at halftime. M.U.D was somewhat responsible for the slippage, as they came into the game with shitty effort on both ends.

James led the Lakers with 29 points, as all the starters scored in double digits. The third quarter saw the Lake show push their 10 point halftime lead up to 16, and all seemed right with the world. But nope, the damn bench blew their second 15+ point lead of the game, making things way more interesting in the end than they needed to be.

If it were not for a dumbass foul by Wesley ” Contract Year ” Mathews with two seconds left, we might have had another Lakers overtime game. Lebron did his best to keep the game interesting by missing the first free throw after being fouled by Mathews but made the second to give the Lakers a one-point lead with two seconds left. A J.J. Barea heave at the buzzer came up short, and the Lakers come away with a win, even though they deserved to lose this shit.

Closing out games has been a real pain in the ass for Los Angeles so far this season, losing every game by less than 10 points, with at least a chance to win every single one. Chances are this aspect improves as chemistry builds, but their fans are running out of excuses for a Lebron James led team to be this bad down the stretch.

JaVale McGee really showed up DeAndre Jordan this game, clocking in 16 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks.  Lonzo Ball played solid as well, giving the Lakers 12 points and seven assists, with Kyle Kuzma chipping in 18 points of his own.

Coach Luke Walton cannot be pleased about the victory, although it is always a plus to win a game in the cannibalistic Western Conference.  Lakers head to Portland on Saturday to try and avenge their opening night loss to the Portland Trailblazers.