Anthony Davis Trade: LeBron, Lakers Distracted? Forward's Unwanted Record During Pacers Loss

LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 32,000 points, but it came on a night that the Los Angeles Lakers would want to quickly forget. They lost 136-94 to the Indiana Pacers in the forward’s second game after returning from a 5-week injury absence.

The Lakers were thoroughly beaten by the Pacers, who were without star player Victor Oladipo, who is out for the season with a knee injury. But that did not stop them from humiliating Luke Walton’s team and put a dent in Lakers' hopes of making the playoffs.

James’ record for reaching 32,000 points will be one of the talking points from the game, but the three-time NBA champion also set an unwanted record on the night. The Lakers’ 42-point loss to the Pacers is the biggest a James-led team has suffered when arguably the greatest of the current generation has been on court, according to NBA on ESPN.

The 14-time NBA All-Star was the top scorer for his team with 18 points, with JaVale McGee the next best with 16. It was a poor performance and it led to questions if the Lakers, as a team, were distracted by all the happenings in the trade market. And the Pacers fans played their part as well with chants to intimidate the likes of Brandon Ingram and McGee.

The Lakers are actively pursuing Anthony Davis, who has requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans and leaks to the media have suggested the Los Angeles franchise were willing to part with almost their entire starting lineup to land the power forward. The likes of Kyle Kuzma, Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Ivica Zubac and Josh Hart have reportedly been offered.

The readiness of the Lakers to sacrifice their young core could have certainly affected the players and NBA expert Colin Cowherd thought so as he labeled the Lakers “uninspired”, while stating: “Lakers look uninspired. Getting thrashed. Maybe it’s all the leaks to the media, letting the roster know, they are all viewed as mostly irrelevant pieces in a bigger game being played.”

The Davis trade talks have been dominating the NBA in such a manner that even James joined in the conversation ahead of the game Tuesday night. He made it clear the team’s focus was on the games ahead and reiterated their need to start winning ball games in order to get back in the post-season picture.

"I kind of tend not to play much fantasy basketball, that's how I've always been," James said, as quoted in the Los Angeles Times. "If something were to occur with our team, whether it's him or it's somebody else throughout the trade deadline, we'll approach it then. But right now this is the group that we have and we're missing a key point of our team right now with [Lonzo Ball] being out so we have to win ballgames."

“We all know this is a business — it is a business — you go out and you prepare as a professional,” James said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. It’s a business, so right now this is who we have, this is my group, this is the group I’m trying to lead out there to try and win ballgames. That’s all I’ve ever done. I always have.”

James’ call to focus on the ball games clearly did not work as Walton’s team put in one of their worst performances of the season Tuesday. And with this loss, they moved one position lower, down to 10th, in the Western Conference.​