The Los Angeles Lakers had a real chance to win their third straight game following a horrendous 0-5 start to the season, but instead, they got a massive beating at the hands of the Utah Jazz on Friday. While it's easy to pin the blame on their 3-point shooting for the loss, LeBron James and Anthony Davis emphasized they have a bigger issue to address.
Speaking to reporters following the game, James showed his disappointment on the Lakers' defense. Prior to the contest, they were the second-best defensive team behind just the Milwaukee Bucks, boasting a defensive rating of 104.3. Against the Jazz, though, that “elite” Purple and Gold defense crumbled and allowed the visiting team to drop 130 points on them.
“We never want it to happen, but there are some games through the course of an 82-game season where you just don’t have it defensively. And we didn’t have it — not for 48 minutes. We had it in spurts. But we know for us to win, we’ve got to defend. And tonight, I think we 50-40-90 offensive night and we still lost,” James shared, per The Athletic.
Unlike LeBron James, Anthony Davis didn't hold back in his criticism of the Lakers' defense. The big man, who is largely seen as the team's defensive anchor, admitted they allowed the Jazz to do whatever they want offensively, which doomed them.
“Our game plan discipline was terrible. Our effort was terrible. These guys got whatever they wanted. … We were doing things we never would do. Leaving guys on an island. Our backside wasn’t talking, protecting, guarding the ball. Every fast break, the defense wasn’t running in transition, which is tough because we played really well on the other end,” Davis said.
The Lakers tried hard to match up with the Jazz on offense, but in the end, not getting the key stops made the difference. Utah won 130-116, pushing Los Angeles to drop 2-6 on the season.
Hopefully, Friday's poor defensive display is nothing but a minor blip on the radar for the Lakers. After all, if not, they'll be in real trouble.
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