After Tuesday's downright inspiring win over the Boston Celtics, there was a sense that perhaps a breakthrough had been discovered, and this victory at the soon-to-be
Crypto.com Arena was the start of something big for a Lakers team perpetually scuffling around the .500 mark. That sense turned out to be... well... wrong. After getting off to a strong start in Memphis, the Lakers fell 108-95 to the Grizzlies, while drowning in a sea of turnovers, defensive rebounds surrendered, and missed opportunities. LeBron James played very well, but Anthony Davis was unremarkably solid, Russell Westbrook was pretty bad, and nobody else, save perhaps Avery Bradley(!), particularly stepped up.
But even more than all of that, the Lakers, once again, allowed themselves to get out-efforted, out-disciplined, and out-purposed. The question of whether this team can stay focused and on task for 48 minutes has been as big a theme as Frank Vogel's starting lineup (which began small), his rotations (which increasingly skewed towards size) and how well these pieces actually fit. After the loss, Vogel, LeBron James and Anthony Davis vented a lot of frustration. Which is certainly what fans want to hear after a disappointing loss. What actually comes from that frustration, and whether it's just lip service or a "Come to Jesus" moment, remains at best an open question.
Hosts: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT ONE: Above all, the theme of this loss was frustration.
SEGMENT TWO: LeBron's energy was great, but he still needs to overwhelm games more on a regular basis.
SEGMENT THREE: For many reasons, Frank Vogel is struggling to find answers.
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