As if the Los Angeles Lakers weren’t struggling enough, two starters behind on their way to Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz, a burst of 114-89 only highlighted the defending champions’ grind.
With Anthony Davis (right leg) and Dennis Schroder (health and safety protocols) offside, the Jazz leaped over the Lakers. They led by a whopping 29 points by losing LA for the fourth time in a row and fifth in the past six games since Davis worsened his tendinosis and suffered a calf strain a week and a half ago.
Utah has won 15 times at home.
“They’re currently playing as the best team in the league,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of Utah, who shot 22-for-48 from 3 in the defeat.
And the Lakers, still third in the Western Conference standings on 11/22, are not playing as well as their record suggests.
LA kept pace with Utah in the first quarter at Vivint Arena, trailing 24-23 to one, before the Jazz erupted in the second and third quarters, beating the Lakers 66-41 to break open the game.
Markieff Morris, who got the start in the frontcourt against Rudy Gobert of Utah with Davis out, said the Lakers’ current battle is a reality check the team needs.
[I] think early on that we have won a lot with talent and that we have a lot of role players who know their role. With those guys out – especially with AD out – we need guys who do different things, “Morris said after finishing season highs in points (12) and rebounds (9).” This is new to all of us. . But we need it. If you ask me, we need it. Because you never know with injuries. You never know in the playoffs. You never know. We need these challenging times to truly discover who we really are. “
The four-game lost streak was the longest the Lakers have had in the past two seasons, but Morris said it’s difficult to compare this season’s roster to last year’s due to roster sales and the challenges associated with it coronavirus-compact scheme.
“This is the most basketball I’ve ever played in my life – this season and last season together,” he said. “It’s an incredible amount of basketball that we all play. Mentally it gets exhausting. Especially when you lose.”
The Lakers have four more games before the All-Star break, and the next three of those games – at home against Portland, Golden State and Phoenix – all come against teams with winning records.
“It shouldn’t click right away,” said Morris. It would take time. It should challenge us. It should feel like our backs are against the wall. And everyone needs that. It will bring out your true self if you have to fight with your back to the wall you lose a few games. It will bring out your true self. “
LeBron James, whose teams are 1-for-3 in repeated title bids so far in his career, remained pragmatic, not using LA’s missing players as an excuse, but taking into account that the season won’t go off the rails due to February struggles.
“It’s a tough part for us,” said James after scoring 19 points in 28 minutes. “You know this will not determine who we will be for the rest of the season and for the long haul. That’s for sure.’
When asked if the losses could help LA’s revamped locker room get to know each other, he agreed.
“Always the best teacher in life is experience,” said James. “You know, if we experience this now, I think it will greatly benefit our team.”
As with any team nurturing back-to-back championship ambitions, Morris kept an eye out for the future when assessing Wednesday’s result.
“We see the Jazz, we know they beat us up tonight,” he said. “But it’s a different story in the play-offs.”