James addressed the situation in his usual calm manner
The Los Angeles Lakers came agonizingly close to a thrilling comeback victory over the Houston Rockets in their latest matchup, but ultimately suffered a 119-115 defeat.
Despite the loss, one of the most discussed moments from the game was LeBron James‘ failed attempt to call a timeout in the final seconds, a move that has ignited debate across social media.
LeBron on the rebound discrepancy, trying to call a timeout on the inbounds play, The Thompson brothers’ athleticism, and adjusting in the second half: pic.twitter.com/qTz4YsI68e
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 6, 2025
LeBron’s overlooked timeout attempt
In the closing moments of the game, as the Lakers were mounting a comeback, James saw a potential turnover coming when Max Christie was about to handle an inbounds pass.
Sensing the danger, James immediately motioned for a timeout before the ball was played, hoping to stop the clock and regroup his team. However, the referees missed his call, and the game continued.
After the game, James addressed the situation in his usual calm manner, expressing no ill will towards the referees despite the crucial missed call.
“Absolutely. That’s why I called the timeout because I saw it go wrong,” James explained. “They played it good, stayed on top of everything. I saw Fred shoot a guy on top of me and I called timeout when Max definitely still had the ball in his hands. It wasn’t rewarded but that happens, you don’t lose a game because of that.”
While the missed timeout certainly added to the frustration, the Lakers‘ larger issue came down to a botched inbound play in the final seconds, which sealed the victory for the Rockets.
Earlier in the game, the Lakers found themselves in a 22-point deficit during the first half. However, a remarkable second-half resurgence led by LeBron James, who scored 21 points in the period, brought the Lakers back into the game.
It seemed like the Lakers were on the verge of completing a thrilling comeback, but the final moments of the game slipped away, leaving them short-handed in their bid for a win.