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Things seemed to be going well for the Los Angeles Lakers in Wednesday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings when they took a 19-point lead in the first quarter, but everything quickly fell apart.
The Lakers ended up suffering a 130-120 loss to the Kings at home following a 44-point outburst from De’Aaron Fox, but also thanks in large part to some questionable coaching decisions from Darvin Ham.
Sacramento outscored Los Angeles 44-20 in the second quarter to quickly erase its deficit. Ham often chose not to call a timeout to prevent the Kings from running. The Lakers trailed by 22 points in the third quarter, but once again Ham did little to stop the bleeding. Los Angeles never cut the lead to single digits in the entire second half.
To make matters worse for the Lakers, star forward LeBron James twisted his ankle and left the game with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter. He led the team with 31 points and 13 assists, but once again his individual brilliance wasn’t enough to earn the victory.
Lakers fans didn’t hold back their frustration with Ham after Wednesday’s disappointing loss:
LakeShowYo @LakeShowYo
The Lakers’ starting lineup built a double-digit lead in 5 minutes, then Darvin Ham never put them on the line again pic.twitter.com/BhxEKONvxo
Mink flow @currypistonn
The opposing team runs***
Darvin Ham:
pic.twitter.com/TJLdulUuAf
Italo Santana @BulletClubIta
Darvin Ham really let the Kings go on a 10-0 run and did NOT call a timeout.
Incredible man! EVERY GAME pic.twitter.com/YBKiowirBu
LakeShowHoopsᴾᴴ @LakeShowHoopsPH
*The opposing team is on the run*
Darvin Ham: pic.twitter.com/BhPvID7JAj
HIMothy ❼ @TimmyLeTiger
Me every time Darvin Ham makes a stupid coaching decision pic.twitter.com/wZkDWH0gWF
™️_???? @Kind regards_m0n
I was watching Rui dominate the Kings and Darvin Ham decides to close the half with Dinwiddie pic.twitter.com/9KynMLjDBN
NBALakersReport @NBALakersReport
Live Watch Darvin Ham’s Halftime Speech pic.twitter.com/ZOeRI4zWMS
Lakers Loop @lakers loop
Darvin Ham prepares to spoil the Lakers’ comeback pic.twitter.com/6DapvnlzIx
Lunaticø @LakeShow4Life9
Either the Lakers make the playoffs or Darvin Ham gets fired pic.twitter.com/ZULbzHpELH
Ham took over the Lakers before last season for the first head coaching job of his career, but he has yet to prove he can lead the team consistently. Los Angeles’ success has been due to the power of James and Anthony Davis, so it’s fair to wonder if Ham has had an impact on the team during his tenure.
Maybe the Lakers’ job is just too much for a new head coach to handle. As James approaches the twilight of his legendary career, there is a ton of pressure to compete for an NBA title. Under Ham, Los Angeles has a chance to be in contention for a spot in the play-in tournament.
The Lakers will try to bounce back Friday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom Ham served as an assistant before being hired in Los Angeles.
