A 29-point loss in Minnesota on Monday. A 41-point loss in Miami on Wednesday. Together, it’s the worst two-game stretch in Los Angeles Lakers historical past.
The Lakers misplaced to the Heat 134-93 on Wednesday, that loss coming two days after a 109-80 loss to the Timberwolves. The 70-point margin is an all-time, two-game low for the Lakers; they had been outscored by 67 over two separate two-game spans of the 2016-17 season.
“It sucks, for certain, to get your ass whooped like that twice in a row,” Lakers star LeBron James mentioned. “For certain.”
The Lakers ran off a six-game successful streak final month to get to 10-4. They’re 2-6 since, 4 of these losses coming by 25 or extra factors. Wednesday was the low level; the 41-point loss was not solely the worst of the season, however it marked solely the eleventh time in Lakers historical past – greater than 6,800 video games, together with playoffs – that they’ve misplaced by greater than 40.
“I’m embarrassed,” Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned. “We’re all embarrassed.”
Redick is now 12-10 in his first 12 months as a coach, and this stretch has clearly been his hardest but. He oscillated in his postgame remarks Wednesday between pointing the finger at himself – “I’ll take all of the possession on the earth. This is my group and I lead it,” he mentioned – and saying the group is having hassle with the best components of the sport plan.
“There’s not a way from me that we’re collectively proper now,” Redick mentioned. “And that’s what we are saying within the huddle. Doesn’t really feel that manner. Doesn’t really feel that manner. We’re in a troublesome stretch and we’re all looking for it.”
Miami outscored the Lakers 72-15 from three-point vary – that 57-point differential tying the fourth-largest in NBA historical past.
“We’re having hassle proper now on each ends with like base-level gameplan stuff,” Redick mentioned. “It’s odd. It’s very odd.”
Anthony Davis had a season-low 12 factors for the Lakers on Monday. He was 4 factors worse on Wednesday on 3-for-14 capturing.
“Guys are doing their half. I’m not doing mine, which is simply robust for our group,” Davis mentioned. “I simply must play higher individually on each ends. I maintain myself to the next normal and I haven’t been doing what I wanted to do – particularly offensively for our group.”
James mentioned he agreed with all the things Redick mentioned, and Davis even echoed a phrase his coach used a number of occasions.
“Embarrassing,” Davis mentioned.
James hopes the remainder of the Lakers’ locker room takes on that stage of accountability. He insisted that 22 years within the league have taught him to not overreact to outcomes.
“I’ve been on this recreation manner too lengthy,” he mentioned. “Never get too excessive, by no means get too low. Because I understand how quick this shit turns.”
The Lakers play at Atlanta on Friday, go residence to face Portland on Sunday after which get a couple of days off – the NBA Cup quarter-finals on 10 and 11 December are a built-in break for the groups that didn’t advance to the knockout stage of that match – to apply and search options.
“When you’re individually [messing] up and also you’re attempting to depend on all people else to cowl for you, I feel it begins with the person first,” James mentioned. “All of us must take accountability.”
