LeBron’s season-low 13 caps Lakers’ eventful week

(AP):

This was hardly the ideal way for LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers to cap what amounted to an eventful week of highs and lows.

And arriving one night after what seemed to be a breakthrough performance, this dud demonstrated just how much more room for improvement four-time NBA MVP James and his new teammates have.

James shot just 5 for 16, managing merely a season-worst 13 points. He and the rest of the Lakers put up barely any resistance at the defensive end and trailed by as many as 27 points while stumbling their way to a 128-110 loss to the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.

"We're a good team," James insisted afterward. "Tonight was just one of those instances where we didn't play well."

That's certainly true, at both ends of the court and in various ways.

The 22 turnovers. The 51-43 rebounding deficit. The 0-for-8 start on 3-point attempts. The way they allowed Wizards point guard John Wall to dominate en route to a 40-point, 14-assist performance.

"Not a lot of good to take from that, other than the lesson of: You don't show up to play in the NBA, you will not win," LA coach Luke Walton said.

His club wraps up a four-game road swing at the Brooklyn Nets today.