The Los Angeles Lakers’ struggles continued as they faced their 10th defeat in 13 games, losing 127-113 to the Memphis Grizzlies. LeBron James, who scored 32 points in the game, expressed his frustration with the team’s performance, bluntly stating, “We just suck right now.” This loss adds to the Lakers’ disappointing run following their victory in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Anthony Davis contributed 31 points, but the team’s defense faltered, allowing the Grizzlies to hit a season-high 23 3-pointers. Since their tournament win, the Lakers have only managed victories against lower-ranked teams.
“Wearing this uniform, you get a lot of flack, and guys are watching you under a microscope as a team,” Davis said. “You have a couple of bad games, lose a couple in a row, you can’t lose your confidence. Can’t be on social media, listening to whatever people are saying. We’ve got to stay together in this locker room and find our way out of it. There’s no help coming. There’s no cavalry. We’ve got to do it with the guys we’ve got and remain together.”
Despite feeling secure in his position, Lakers coach Darvin Ham showed frustration with the public’s reaction to the team’s recent form. He emphasized the need for perspective, considering the NBA season as a marathon rather than a series of sprints.
“This is the NBA, man,” Ham said. “This is a marathon. You have to look at the totality of the picture. I’m tired of people living and dying with every single game we play. It’s ludicrous, actually. It’s like, ‘Come on, man. This is a marathon.’ We hit a tough stretch. It’s the same team. We played some high-level games a little while ago, and we’ve just got to get back to that. We’ve got to keep the fight, though. We cannot lose our fight.”
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However, James seemed less optimistic, downplaying the significance of the team’s performance in the tournament.
“That was just two games, though,” James said. “That was a small sample. Everybody is getting so cracked up about Vegas; keep bringing up Vegas. It was two games. We took care of that business … but that was really just two games.”
Austin Reaves added 19 points and 12 assists for the Lakers, but their efforts weren’t enough to stop the Grizzlies, led by Jaren Jackson Jr. with 31 points and Marcus Smart with 29 points. The Grizzlies, achieving only their second win in six games, saw a standout performance from Smart, who broke his 3-point shooting slump against the Lakers.
“We got some pretty good looks,” James said. “They turned us over. I had two critical turnovers, missed four free throws. But we had our chances.”
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The Lakers, missing D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura due to injuries, struggled to maintain their form against a motivated Grizzlies team. Ja Morant highlighted the victory’s significance, especially considering Los Angeles’ previous playoff success against them.
The game also saw a heated moment when Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins received a technical foul for stepping onto the court. He later took responsibility for his actions, emphasizing his support for his players.
“You can’t do that, so I take full responsibility there,” Jenkins said. “I saw a tussle there. Jaren is clamping LeBron. Obviously (the officials) didn’t see that, and then I saw something that crossed the line. Maybe look at it after the fact, but I saw maybe some intent that I had to stand up for my guy. Glad to see our guys rally. Obviously got the crowd into it. … I was just proud of the way they fought all the way through after a tough first 12 minutes.”
Looking ahead, the Grizzlies are set to face the Phoenix Suns, while the Lakers will go head-to-head against the Clippers in their upcoming games.
