LOS ANGELES — LeBron James continued to feel increasingly sour after the Los Angeles Lakers lost 127-113 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, their 10th loss in 13 games.
“Right now it sucks,” a visibly shaken James said after scoring 32 points during the Lakers' four-game losing streak.
Anthony Davis scored 31 points in Los Angeles' latest disappointing loss since winning the first NBA in-season tournament. The Lakers made a season-high 23 3-pointers against a Memphis team that ranks last in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage, but since hoisting the trophy in Las Vegas four weeks ago, they have defeated San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Only Charlotte has won. .
Coach Darvin Ham said before the game that he felt confident about his job security after talking with owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka.
After the Lakers' recent dismal effort, Ham praised the team's improvements while expressing a strange frustration with public perception of their recent struggles.
“This is the NBA,” Ham said. “This is a marathon. You have to look at the bigger picture. I'm tired of people living and dying for every game we play. In fact, it's ridiculous. “Come on. It's like, “Hey.'' This is a marathon. ” We were approaching a difficult situation. It's the same team. I had some high-level matches a while back and now I just need to get back to those matches. But we must continue the fight. We cannot lose the battle. ”
James doesn't share his coach's optimism. He responded negatively to suggestions that the Lakers' solid play in the tournament finals showed the team could be a championship contender.
“It was only two games, though,” James said. “It was a small sample. Everyone is buzzing about Las Vegas, so keep the Las Vegas buzz going. It was two games. We took care of that business… but it was really just a small sample. It was his two games.”
Austin Reeves had 19 points and a career-high 12 assists, but the Lakers fell to 0-2, starting a 12-game winning streak with one game outside of Los Angeles.
The Lakers admit they are feeling the weight of the losing streak.
“When you wear this uniform, you get a lot of flak and everyone puts you under a microscope as a team,” Davis said. “You can't lose confidence even if you have a few bad games, even if you lose a few games in a row. You can't be on social media and listen to what people say. We've got to stay together in the locker room and find a way to get out of there. There's no help coming. There's no cavalry. We've got to get it done with the guys we have and stay together.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. hit five 3-pointers for 31 points and Marcus Smart hit a season-high eight 3-pointers for the Grizzlies, who added 29 points for their second win in six games. Ta.
For Memphis, Desmond Bane had 24 points and 13 assists, Ja Morant had 21 points, and the starting lineup combined to make 21 of 3-pointers.
Before Smart made the first of eight 3-pointers against the Lakers, he had missed 16 straight 3-pointers over the previous five games of a season in which he had a poor shooting percentage.
Ziare Williams added 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, and the Grizzlies went on a game-ending 24-10 run to pull away from the Lakers.
“We had pretty good results,” James said. “They handed us over. We had two crucial turnovers and missed four free throws. But we had a chance.”
Los Angeles has won six straight home games against the Grizzlies over the past 12 months, including three in a row last spring when the Lakers upset the second-seeded Grizz in the first round of the playoffs.
“It was good because we haven’t won here in a while,” Morant said. “It's the team that knocked us out of the playoffs. Obviously, we're not where we want to be at this point in the season, so this was a big win for us. Just carry on the momentum of this game. 'can be done'
The Lakers played without two regulars and a frequent starter. D'Angelo Russell missed his third consecutive game with a bruised tailbone, and Rui Hachimura missed his second consecutive game with a strained left calf muscle.
