USA Today via Reuters
Nov 2, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) shoots against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Nov 2, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) shoots against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a difficult time to be a Lakers fan. They’re 5-5 after 10 games and are not looking anything like a championship team. Just imagine a squad full of multiple All-Stars and they fail to drive any fear in their opponents.
Turns out that this Lakers side lacks teeth without LeBron James and there’s nothing much that the head coach has done to correct it. So what all went wrong in the Lakers’ 90-105 defeat against their conference rivals?
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The Lakers failed to justify the gameplan
Surprisingly, none of the Lakers’ starters touched the double-figure mark. In fact, the starting five combined a shameful 24 points as the bench saved them from a massive loss. It seemed as if the 2020 NBA Champions lacked motivation to give their ultimate best because their energy seemed too low.
In the post-game interview, head coach Frank Vogel also agreed with the flaws. He accepted that putting double teams on Blazers’ guards, especially Damian Lillard, didn’t work as planned. Ideally, the Lakers must’ve exploited Dame, who was coming off a 4-point night, against the Pacers. But instead, they gave a boost to his confidence.
Frank Vogel said the Lakers tried to double-team the Blazers' guards but the team wasn't executing the scheme well enough, so they pulled back into their base coverages. From there, Portland got hot, Vogel said.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) November 7, 2021
Since the beginning of the season, coach Vogel’s rotation has also been under question. Many have disliked how he used both Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo on the floor among other crazy combinations.
Read more: Angry Lakers Fans Demand Russell Westbrook Trade and Frank Vogel Firing After Painful Loss
The positives in their loss to the Blazers
Well, tonight was surely not the Lakers’ night. With Westbrook going 7.7% from the field and them allowing Lillard six threes, there weren’t many positives for the Lake Show.
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USA Today via Reuters
Nov 6, 2021; Norman Powell (right) blocks a shot by Russell Westbrook (0) during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
However, Austin Reaves still gave an all-round performance to support the bench headed by Carmelo Anthony. Plus, Malik Monk looked great in the role of Alex Caruso as he registered a +22 in plus/minus and also drained three threes. Lastly, Dwight Howard showed some character and a hunger for giving his best.
From here, the road ahead is tough for the Lakers who are already dealing with big injuries. So unless Russ can regain his momentum from his Wizards days, the next week can bring worse losses on the show.
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Do you see the Lakers bouncing back?
Watch this story: The Big Threes to Watch Out For in the NBA League
