LeBron James Explains Passing on Potential Game-Winning Layup

The Lakers continued their slide into irrelevance with a 139–130 overtime loss to the 17–49 Rockets on Wednesday night in Houston.

Wednesday night’s defeat was the latest loss in a disappointing season for the Lakers, one that many fans thought could have been avoided at the end of regulation when it appeared that LeBron James passed up an open layup that would have won the game for Los Angeles.

LeBron explained his decision to pass out to Carmelo Anthony with time waning in the fourth quarter after the game.

“On the drive I had an angle for sure, and then [Rockets wing] David Nwaba came over … and I took a long one-two step and ended up behind the backboard. I was a little bit off balance and I could have forced a reverse layup … but I wasn’t in a position to feel like I could have gotten a great look. I could have gotten a decent look but I felt like Melo’s look was a lot better than mine…” LeBron said.

Following the latest defeat, the Lakers are now 28–37 on the season and sit squarely in the ninth spot in the West. At this point, Los Angeles seems destined for the play-in tournament at season’s end, a far cry from where they were projected to be when the season began.

• All Lakers: Why LeBron James Passed Instead of Taking Game-Winning Shot

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