Foto/Ringo H.W. Chiu.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Kings in triple-overtime on Friday night.
James told reporters after the game that he holds himself to a higher standard than he did. "I have to do better for this team, especially when we're going through something on the floor."
He had 30 points, 11 assists and seven rebound, but he also turned the ball over seven times and made just two of his 13 three-point attempts.
Los Angeles is still trying to find its way after a huge roster change in the off-season that changed many of the players around the superstars James and Anthony Davis.
James missed 10 games with an abdominal strain and was also suspended for one game after an altercation with the Detroit Pistons'.
It's getting to the point of the campaign when the Lakers need to start showing some consistency in their progress towards becoming a serious contender. They lost to Sacramento and are now sitting seventh in the Western Conference with a 9-11 record.
"We could go on a 10-game winning streak, 12-game winning streak, now the narrative is different," Davis said. We're 20-11 and have a 10-game winning streak. We'll shut everybody down. It's on us. We're going to have to do it. It's not going to be easy.
L.A. will need to show improvement at both ends of the floor to make that type of run. It is ranked 20th in offensive efficiency and 16th in defensive efficiency.
Frank Vogel isn't ready to press the panic button yet.
The early season was going to be rough. This season is about peaking at the right time, and knowing that we're going to use the season to learn each other, and to grow each day. There's a big picture mindset that we're taking with this team, even though you want to win games like this.
The Lakers have enough high-end talent to eventually make a run, especially since they have a deep group of reserves, but getting all of the pieces to fit properly is still a work in progress for the staff.
The Pistons will be in L.A. on Sunday night for a game that could be very contentious.
