Vogel: Dubs' defensive struggles helped LeBron's 56-point game

LeBron James absolutely torched the Warriors on Saturday night. 

The King finished with a season-high 56 points on 19-of-31 shooting from the field and 6-of-11 from behind the arc in the Lakers’ 124-116 win over the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. 

The 37-year-old NBA superstar took advantage of the Warriors' defensive struggles. And a Draymond Green-less Warriors team wasn’t able to tame the King. 

“He’s been averaging around 30 a game so we know he’s going to give us that much,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters after the game. "And when you play with an open paint, this team is struggling to defend right now, there was a real possibility that with the drives to the basket [and] what he’s doing with the basketball that there was always a chance for this.” 

Golden State has now lost eight of their last 10 games, including four in a row.

And their schedule isn’t getting any easier

On the bright side, though, Draymond is expected to return in the coming weeks. Not only do the Warriors miss their defensive anchor, but also the veteran leadership from both Draymond and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, who has been out due to a back injury. 

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Add 7-foot center James Wiseman into the mix and the Warriors will be a threat once again. 

For now, the team is focused on getting out of this skid as they head to Denver to face reigning MVP Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets on Monday. 

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