The Los Angeles Lakers were utterly embarrassed by the Miami Heat last night, losing 134-93 away from home. It was by far the worst performance of the season by the Lakers, who looked flat-out lethargic on the court. Several clips from last night’s game show just how poor they were defensively, least of all this video from the third quarter where they were seen walking back on transition defense.
Lakers just GAVE UP.
Literally walking back on defense 😭 pic.twitter.com/kKafP0n1J4
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) December 5, 2024
Another video from later in the game showed just how disorganized and disinterested the entire team looked, as the Heat easily passed the ball around their half-hearted close-out attempts, only to make a three with great ease.
This Laker “defense” is hilarious 😭 pic.twitter.com/8EyCZWMUFG
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) December 5, 2024
Anthony Davis was all over the place, not just offensively, but defensively as well. This clip shows just how easily Bam Adebayo was able to get past his perimeter defense. Davis put in no effort in trying to stop Adebayo.
This is inexcusable from AD. pic.twitter.com/PwayU7uBBz
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) December 5, 2024
The Lakers seemingly didn’t communicate on the defensive end at all. During one play, as Duncan Robinson looked to drive to the basket, Max Christie left his assignment to help Anthony Davis in the paint. Unfortunately, Christie left Tyler Herro, who was on fire last night, wide open and allowed him to make an easy corner three.
AD guarding Robinson but somehow Max over helps to help AD and leave Herro wide open. You all go it
— #5ontheway (@bron23xgoat) December 5, 2024
It was an abhorrent level of defensive effort from the Lakers last night. They showed a complete disinterest in trying to play hard defense. And the Miami Heat capitalized on that by breaking a franchise record for three-pointers made in a single game with 24. And there is no denying that the Los Angeles Lakers brought tonight’s beating onto themselves.
The Lakers cannot get away with putting in such little effort on the defensive end at all. They must show a willingness to commit and work hard while guarding the opposing team if they want even the slightest chance of finding success this season and turning things around.
Channing Frye Eviscerates Lakers Performance
The Lakers looked absolutely horrendous tonight. And fans aren’t the only ones who noticed. Former Lakers star Channing Frye, who was on the panel for NBA TV tonight, tore into the team while reviewing their highlights from the first half. He called out how lazy and lethargic all of the players on the Lakers looked.
Channing Frye masterfully eviscerated the Lakers. pic.twitter.com/BD6WLBK3z9
— Richard Staple, BSN, RN🇯🇲 (@RichStapless) December 5, 2024
The Lakers were terrible on the defensive end tonight. Only one player on the team had a negative plus/minus in the single digits, with Maxwell Lewis registering a plus/minus of -8. Everyone else on the team had a double-digit negative plus/minus score.
JJ Redick spoke after the game and shared his frustration with his team’s performances in recent weeks. LeBron James took it one step further and demanded that the rest of the team hold themselves accountable going forward.
The Lakers have a chance to rest for a few days, before playing against the Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday, December 7th, at 7:30 PM EST. A win against the middling Hawks could help them build some momentum and turn their form around.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
