The Los Angeles Lakers are back on the drawing board after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, sending them back to .500 after finishing their first road trip 1-4. While the Lakers played without Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura, they still kept the game close until Memphis blew the game open in the third and never looked back. Despite LeBron James’ sizzling first half, the Lakers couldn’t stop Ja Morant, who also got into it with the King near the end of the second quarter.
Asked about Morant pushing him that led to the refs giving him a tech, LeBron said it was water off a duck’s back.
“[It’s] what the essence of the game is all about,” James said, via NBA reporter Dave McMenamin on X, formerly Twitter.
Here’s the replay of the Grizzlies star shoving Bron after banking in a shot, courtesy of the popular fan account @LakeShowYo.
The Lakers star stays gracious in defeat
Besides Ja Morant getting into it with LeBron James, the Lakers- Grizzlies game went out of reach in the third quarter. Without Anthony Davis, the Purple and Gold simply could not stop a parked car, nor could they put points on the board.
For instance, Austin Reaves had 19 points but he only shot 2-9 from three, while D’Angelo Russell also shot 2-9 en route to scoring just 12 points. JJ Redick even benched D’Lo late in the game for stinking it up on the court, an easy decision given he can only pass and shoot.
Likewise, rookie Dalton Knecht started his first game but only scored three points on 1-7 shooting, all from beyond the arc.
The team couldn’t even exploit Ja Morant leaving the game in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, LeBron scored 39 points on 15-24 shooting from the field, and 6-11 from deep. He also had six assists and seven boards.
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On the other hand, the bench combined for 33 points, as Cam Reddish led the second unit with 15 points, showing signs of life as he has effectively taken Max Christie’s spot on the rotation.
Outlook
After the loss, Redick sang LeBron’s praises, probably because he was the only Laker starter who showed up. Depending on the status of Davis’ injury, the team might miss him for sometime, and they’ll have to figure out how to win despite his absence.
Asking LeBron James to turn back the clock every game is not a recipe for success, and Redick knows it too, as he made AD the centerpiece of their offense before the season started.
However, now might be the time for the Lakers’ new coach to show his capability of adjusting his system to his best player missing time. Fans should hope he can show why the front office trusted the former sharpshooter enough to hire him as their coach of the future.