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The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their third straight loss on Sunday when they got blown out by the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-86.
The team is now 1-5 without LeBron James, and are starting to lose their grip on the eighth spot in the Western Conference standings.
As a team, the Lakers shot a woeful 36.8 percent from the field and 22.7 from deep. They have allowed the Timberwolves to start the game leading 22-3, and they were not able to recover.
However, sources confirmed that the Lakers are not in panic mode, despite the outcry from some fans to replace current head coach Luke Walton.
Yes, those were a bad couple of losses by the Lakers. But with LeBron + scorers out w/ injuries, from what I gather this isn’t falling on Luke Walton as far as management is concerned.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 6, 2019
The Lakers, who were also without veteran guard Rajon Rondo and prolific scorer Kyle Kuzma, relied on Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball against the Wolves, but they continue to struggle as the Lakers' primary offensive options.
Ingram scored 13 points on 5-16 shooting, while Ball was held scoreless and only had four shot attempts.
Walton singled them out during postgame interviews for their lack of effort, per Bill Oram of The Athletic.
Asked by @LakersReporter about Ingram and Ball, coach Luke Walton says the Lakers need more “passion and fire.” pic.twitter.com/RZbX6LyMHm
— Bill Oram (@billoram) January 6, 2019
During the three-game skid, Ingram has managed a dismal 13-for-68 shooting from the field, while Ball took only 17 shots and made seven.
Kyle Kuzma could return to the Lakers' line up when they take on the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow, but there's still no timetable for when James and Rondo will return.
The Lakers were expected to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference this year after signing LeBron. However, they haven't been able to find consistency as a team even when he's playing. Rumors have started to surface that Walton's job is no longer secure, but the Lakers' front office has constantly reiterated that they currently have no plans to replace the young coach.
