Mark the calendar: It was nine days after defending champion Los Angeles Lakers had a matter of vulnerability this season, in the 107-92 defeat to the Detroit Pistons.
LA amassed just 34 points in the second half – the least the Lakers have scored in any half since LeBron James joined the franchise in 2018 – and was outscored 25-14 in the fourth quarter by a Pistons team that the night along with the second worst record in the league at 4-14.
The Lakers scored nearly seven minutes of points – from 8:40 in the fourth quarter to 1:50 on the clock – while the Pistons’ lead from one point to 17 balloons. LA went on a 0-for-12 drought with two turnovers while Detroit took control.
“I think we just weren’t defensively committed at the level we should have been,” said Kyle Kuzma, whose 22 points and 10 rebounds were marred by the Lakers’ late collapse. “Individually, everyone made mistakes and together with that, the team’s defense suffered a bit.”
The team defense, which was No. 1 in the NBA on Thursday, played without Anthony Davis, the defensive player of the Defensive Player of the Year, last season, who was out with a bruised right butt.
Whatever the explanation for the poor performance, whether the absence of Davis, the accumulation of fatigue on the road or the challenge of a back-to-back challenge, James did not want to hear it.
“I mean, we still have to play games and work to do,” he said. “We have to keep getting better, and you can not really get your hands on how many days you are on the road or whatever the case may be. Every team does it. Every team makes a long journey. We are professionals.
“We have to keep our minds fresh, keep our body as fresh as possible to go there and put together a full 48-minute game, or close to 48 minutes. Clearly we have not done that in the last few games. ., and we just have to be better on Saturday. ‘
Coach Frank Vogel challenged last year’s Lakers team not to drop consecutive games all season, and it has remained part of the team culture this year. LA advanced through more than a quarter of the season before failing the mission and losing one night to Detroit after falling in Philadelphia.
The back-to-back losses also set the Lakers’ perfect 10-0 road record to start the season, a franchise record. They are now 10-2, with games Saturday in Boston and Monday in Atlanta to complete the away game.
While no one sounded the alarm, both Kuzma and James lamented how the Lakers were still trying to find a solid rotation, and due to a lack of practice time were finally experimenting with new lineup in the games.
“We are a brand new team,” Kuzma said. “We play like 14 people. It’s a difficult situation. It’s clear we’re working through things. The coaching staff is trying to figure out rotations and figure out what works best, which players can play certain lineups. And that is just the end of the season we are in. ‘
Kuzma gave a 10,000-foot perspective, saying that losses – even bad things like Thursday – are ‘just the beauty of the journey’ and that the regular season is in any case an exercise in kicking off the play-offs. work. And because the Lakers trip extends beyond a week and a half, he acknowledges the real challenge of ongoing travel. “It’s still a pandemic out here,” he said.
Vogel put the show on himself and said he needs to do a better job of putting his players in a position to be successful, but ultimately sees the night as something his team will not let go of.
“We are doing well,” Vogel said. “You have such nights in a long season. We are doing well. We will bounce back. Not happy, none of us are happy with how we played tonight, but we will bounce back.”