On Tuesday night, it was anticipated that LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers would defeat the Dallas Mavericks. This is because they were without Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. They failed to do so in a humiliating way, as the Mavs, who were shorthanded, defeated the Lakers 118-97 at American Airlines Center.
Charles Barkley and the team had a chance to express their opinions about the game because the NBA on TNT was covering the game on Tuesday. Regarding the Lakers’ most recent defeat, Barkley in particular had a strong message. He did not hold back in his assessment of the Lakers’ poor showing against the Mavs on live TV.
The Lakers stink, plain and simple… The Lakers are not a good team. They have zero athletic ability… The Lakers are not any good.
Charles Barkley said
“The Lakers stink, plain and simple”
Chuck didn’t mince words after Dallas’ win tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/3qgdp2Atqz
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 8, 2025
Kenny Smith highlighted the Lakers’ suffering by pointing out that the Mavs entered the game on a five-game losing skid. Ernie Johnson added that without Doncic and Irving, the Mavs has dropped ten straight games. Shaquille O’Neal, a former superstar of the Lakers, acknowledged that he believed LeBron James and company would dominate the game.
It was the other way around. The Mavericks’ top scorer with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists was Quentin Grimes, who made 6/11 three-pointers. P.J. Washington, who finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds, came right after him. Jaden Hardy (15 points) and Klay Thompson (13 points) each scored in double figures.
NOT the first time Charles Barkley claimed that ‘the Lakers stink’
Even before the start of this NBA season, Charles Barkley was highly critical of the Los Angeles Lakers and their new head coach, JJ Redick. After recently stating that ‘the Lakers stink,’ this is not the first time Barkley has said this regarding the Lakers. Ahead of this season, Barkley made his feelings known about the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors squad.
Y’all please quit talking about the Warriors and the Lakers. The Warriors and the Lakers both stink, okay… They’re not in the playoff hunt… in some stuff that Adam Silver made up called the play-in. Neither one of these teams are any good. To act like the Lakers and the Warriors are contenders, they’re not – they’re play-in candidates.
Charles Barkley said on The Rick Eisen Show
The Hall of Famer had a point, despite the harsh comments, as both teams were play-in teams the previous season, and neither made any notable offseason progress. Barkley’s comments are still true in the NBA as the Lakers and Warriors are currently ranked sixth and ninth in the WC table, respectively. It remains to be seen how these two teams perform going forward into the season.
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