Cryptic tweets leave fans wondering following loss to Hawks
Before and after the Lakers’ disappointing 138–122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, fans saw cryptic tweets in the pre-game and post-game from LeBron James and Christian Wood, leaving them wondering about the team's status.
With Anthony Davis out of the matchup, Wood, the Lakers backup center, didn’t get the starting nod in the absence of Davis. Instead, the coaching staff went with big man Jaxson Hayes. That ensued in a post on X from Wood before tipoff, tweeting “Lol” right after the lineup announcement.
“I meant to quote something, but I didn’t have the quote I thought I did, and I just pressed send, and I couldn’t check my phone because of the game,” Wood said about the tweet. “Definitely not basketball-related.”
Then, to make matters more dramatic and concerning surrounding the group, LeBron tweeted an hourglass emoji following the loss on Tuesday.
“We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA. And then, on any given night, we could get our ass kicked,” LeBron said about the team.
LeBron was asked about his message to the team following back-to-back losses where the Lakers have given up over 130 points, saying, “I don’t have any message for my team; just go out and do your job.”
The Lakers’ loss moves them back to under .500 (24-25), a back-and-forth affair they’ve struggled to stay over.
LeBron James (20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists), Austin Reaves (28 points, six assists), Rui Hachimura (16 points), and Jarred Vanderbilt (12 points) were the only players to score in double figures for L.A.
The Lakers struggled in almost every area defensively: they allowed 68 points in the paint (18 straight to start off the game), 21 second-chance points, and 26 fast-break points.
The struggles defensively led to the Hawks starters all scoring in double figures, including two bench players, totaling seven.
Atlanta’s Trae Young (26 points, 13 assists) and Dejounte Murray (24 points, 9 assists) led the way with a combined 50 points and 22 assists.
“We gotta look ourselves in the mirror and man up,” head coach Darvin Ham said.
With the trade deadline approaching on Feb 8 at 3 p.m. and the questionable cohesiveness surrounding the team, a trade looms and pressure intensifies for L.A. to make a move to turn their season around.
The Lakers’ third game of a current six-game road trip is set for Thursday against the historic rival Boston Celtics at the TD Garden at 4:30 p.m.
