After a solid victory over some old-time rivals on Tuesday, there was strong hope among fans that the tide was finally starting to change for the Lakers.
Going into tonight’s game against a Memphis team without Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, it was the perfect opportunity for L.A. to grab another win and put the fans at ease.
Instead, they got smacked in an embarrassing fashion.
To recap, the Lakers never fully recovered from being outscored by 10 points in the second quarter and ended up losing the game by 13 points (108-95). By the time it was in the books, Twitter was ringing with reactions from shocked fans.
I CAN'T BELIEVE LEBRON'S LAKERS JUST GOT SMOKED AT MEMPHIS BY A TEAM WITHOUT ITS TWO BEST PLAYERS. Will Vogel last until 2022? Will Shannon Sharpe call in sick tomorrow? I'll sure be there at 9:30 E sharp, ready to unleash.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/FallonsPicks04/status/1469138664450056198
Lakers getting destroyed by the Grizzlies without their two best players. pic.twitter.com/h2avJLyqfJ
— Kam (@kameron_raigosa) December 10, 2021
Lakers comedy show is 🔥🔥🔥 tonight. Memphis on a back to back and their two best players are DNP…lakers down double digits. Can’t script this kind of comedy. 🤹🏾♂️🎪🤡
— Nick Sakai (@NickSakai1) December 10, 2021
Lmaooo bro the Lakers legit suck. There’s zero excuses at this point they’re just bad. They have zero heart. Every team that plays them even with out their two best players just play with heart and win. The Lakers are garbage. I’ve never been so over a team in my life.
— TDub (@tristanwindle) December 10, 2021
May be the worst loss of the season…
— Allen Sliwa (@AllenSliwa) December 10, 2021
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/LeGoatKittle/status/1469144492380983297
Trade everyone but Lebron
— ❄️ (@HopeLikely) December 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/DavidVe64270691/status/1469144537670971392
are you not embarrassed? He's the only one playing 😭 pic.twitter.com/0BpXeTMCpy
— 👑π° (@psyveIvet) December 10, 2021
— 💍💍💍💍 (@BigWormm__) December 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/Hugo_Relva/status/1469144872506507266
With just 22 points on the night, it marks yet another underwhelming performance by Anthony Davis, and this one is just days after Charles Barkley called him out on live tv.
“Listen, Anthony Davis, you’ve got to play better,” he said. “I said on the first night: if the Lakers are gonna be any good, it was all gonna be on you. Anthony Davis, you know I like you as a person, but you ain’t doing what you’re supposed to do. In my opinion, I blame Anthony Davis. You know I like you as a person, but you ain’t doing what you supposed to. You’re 27 years old. You are supposed to be in your prime. You’re supposed to be one of the five best players in the world up there with Giannis, Kevin Durant and those guys. And you ain’t holding up your end of the bargain.”
Of course, Anthony Davis isn’t the only one to blame.
The Lakers have been wildly inconsistent all season long and fans are calling for major changes. Whether it’s a new roster still trying to figure things out or just a team that is flawed at its core, the Lakers have to do some serious self-reflection if they want to make a deep run this season. The sad truth is that they’re nowhere near contention.
For Lakers Nation, that truth is unacceptable from a franchise that has achieved so much success.
