On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered another disappointing defeat against the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks, 131-120. The Lakers almost had this one in the bag, but with a poor fourth-quarter performance wherein they were outscored by the Bucks 38-26, the night would ultimately lead to the team's third loss in four games. Following the defeat, Los Angeles head coach Luke Walton spoke to Dave McMenamin of ESPN and took full responsibility for the loss.

According to Walton, he was not able to properly communicate the particulars of the play he drew up in a crucial junction deep in the fourth quarter. The foiled play eventually led to a turnover for the Lakers, which pretty much turned the tide towards a Milwaukee victory.

“I'll take that responsibility,” Walton said after the loss. “I took for granted that we'd get the ball inbounds. That is on me. We have an extra timeout, we've got to take it. We can't afford to turn that ball over right there. But they came up with the press, and we didn't get open and at that point we probably should have called that last timeout. I know guys always want to save them, but it was a costly play in the game.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Skip Bayless as The Joker then put Lakers 2024 logo on his right hand

Rexwell Villas ·

Nuggets Jamal Murray hitting a shot against the Lakers' Anthony Davis with the ball on fire, and a few shocked face emojis in the crowd.

Rachel Strand ·

lebron james dangelo russell lakers anthony davis nuggets

Michael Corvo ·

This is big of Walton to take the blame for the loss, especially considering how the safety of his tenure as the team's head coach has been continuously put into question throughout the season. The Lakers are currently going through another rough patch, and to many, Walton is an easy scapegoat.

The Lakers are scheduled to face the league-worst Phoenix Suns on Saturday in the second night of a back-to-back, and this should present the team with an opportunity to bounce back with a much-needed win.