You’d think that given the Los Angeles Lakers are 18-7 after Sunday’s win against the Phoenix Suns, and are sitting pretty as the 4th seed in a tough Western Conference, its star players and coaches would be in better moods.
Yeah, about that.
Sunday’s road tilt versus the Suns saw a number of curious issues crop up for the Lakers, despite the 116-114 win.
The Lakers’ top player, Luka Doncic, put up a solid 29 points, six assists, and three rebounds stat line — which was undermined by extremely poor shooting (28 percent from the field, 14 percent from behind the arc) and turnovers (he had as many turnovers as he did assists).
Then there was whatever this play was from the Lakers’ best perimeter defender, Marcus Smart:
MARCUS SMART NO-LOOK PASS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XetxAwq69q
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) December 15, 2025
Then there’s the LeBron James factor.
With rumors swirling that the soon-to-be 41-year-old (his birthday is Dec. 30) is disgruntled with the Lakers’ focus on building around the 26-year-old Doncic, James has been under a very intense microscope, even by his standards.
And for those looking for James to be defiant or short-tempered — they got both on Sunday night.
Now, to be fair, the short temper is largely explained by Suns wing Dillon Brooks, a notorious trash-talker and irritant who has gotten under James’ skin before.
All it took was a little physical play, and James appeared ready to fight Brooks — or at least the referee.
LEBRON JUST PUSHED AND SCREAMED AT THE REF???
We’ve seen Dillon Brooks get under dude’s skins before, but this something else from LeBron… #NBA pic.twitter.com/1K98UkayhL
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) December 15, 2025
An incensed James went on a tirade, in a move that even stunned the local Lakers play-by-play announcers.
James appeared to grab and jostle the referee as he angrily yelled about something Brooks had done. Both James’ Laker teammate Rui Hachimura and head coach J.J. Redick had to intervene to ensure James wouldn’t get tossed out.
(Usually, for players that aren’t considered NBA golden geese, touching a referee is an automatic technical foul, and garnering two of those leads to an ejection.)
“He better stop pushing the official or he’s going to be in the locker room,” Lakers announcer Stu Lantz said.
Lantz added, “This doesn’t help our sport at all. Not all.”
The other Lakers announcer, Bill Macdonald, just seemed stunned with how “irate” James was, using that term several times to describe the aging star.
Something was up with James tonight though, because as Redick mentioned in the post-game, James also appeared to openly defy the coach’s orders about who would take a technical free throw late in the game.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick says Luka Doncic should have taken the clutch, potential game-tying free-throw vs. Phoenix, not LeBron James, which resulted in a miss 😳🗣️
Redick: “Luka should’ve shot that, yea.”
LeBron: “I just walked up to the free-throw line. Why… pic.twitter.com/J85PZsaBxL
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) December 15, 2025
Redick confirmed in the post-game that Doncic should’ve taken a critical free throw late in the game.
James, meanwhile, nonchalantly made it seem like shooting that clutch free throw was his prerogative.
(James would miss that free throw attempt.)
Ultimately, Sunday night’s win felt about as Pyrrhic a victory as imaginable for Lakers fans. Yes, they won, but squandered a big lead in the process, and there appear to be some festering fissures in the team hierarchy.
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