If you didn’t stay up until well after midnight Eastern last night, you likely missed one of the weirder NBA games of the year.
In Los Angeles at the Crypt, the Indiana Pacers took down the Lakers, 111-104, thanks to a 30-point game from Caris LeVert and a Domantas Sabonis triple-double. Considering the Pacers are just 16-29 and had won only three road games all year prior to that win, it was not a fun time to be a Lakers player, fan, or (perhaps especially) a team legend-turned-postgame analyst.
Look what this loss did to poor James Worthy:
after suffering arguably their worst loss of the year, here’s how the Lakers postgame show just opened. pic.twitter.com/CPsiMwViDx
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 20, 2022
Someone please reboot the Hall of Famer! The Lakers have obviously had a weird, rough start to the season, but last night’s loss may have been a nadir. There was an immediate report that Frank Vogel wouldn’t be fired and would travel with the team to Orlando, but once a situation has devolved into “We need to give the coach a vote of confidence on a game-by-game basis” it usually isn’t long until that coach ends up fired.
Los Angeles Lakers will not be making a personnel move at this juncture and Frank Vogel will travel with the team tomorrow to coach in Orlando on Friday, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 20, 2022
For Worthy, the team’s struggles have made for a long season. Here he was back at the end of November after a triple-overtime loss to the Kings, for example:
Mood pic.twitter.com/MruX8j1b9P
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) November 27, 2021
As someone who isn’t a Lakers fan, it’s hard to feel too upset about them struggling this year. But for the sake of James Worthy, please get it together, LA. Or just let the man go home! He won three rings there, don’t make him sit through Carmelo’s attempts at defense!
This crunch time possession sums up #Lakers. Melo tries to switch off LeVert who’s been hunting him like a timberwolf in 4th. THT passes his switch on Sabonis, who’s going to post him, w/LBJ. Melo scrambles back but too late. LeVert is red hot. LBJ chucks an F it 3 in response 🤷🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/RunZS4QSoA
— J. Michael (@ThisIsJMichael) January 20, 2022
The Lakers are back in action against the Magic on Friday. If they lose that one too we’ll have to see how Worthy takes it.
