The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a close defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers in the home opener of their season as they fell to a 103-97 loss. Despite players like Lonnie Walker, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James combining for 71 points, the Lakers’ offense fell flat against the Clippers.
Shooting 9-45 from the three-point line, the Lakers’ guards had time to forget. This was especially true for their three-point guards, Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn. Shooting a combined 1-25 from the field, the Lakers guards were abysmal on the offensive end against the Clippers and were one of the prime reasons why the Lakers fell short.
Darvin Ham’s Message To The Lakers During Their Match Against The Clippers
While it is apparent that the Lakers had their fair share of struggles in terms of shooting, one area where the team really excelled was their defense against the Clippers. Although there were several times where the Clippers looked like they would run away with the game, the Lakers found a way to claw their way back into the game.
This was mainly due to the Lakers getting stops and defending incredibly well. During one such moment in the first half, Darvin Ham actually had a message for his players,
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— Ry (@JustRyCole) October 21, 2022
‘Contest without fouling.’
Given that the Lakers were the team who were inherently defending, many of their players initially got into some foul trouble and gave up many free throws. While coach Ham repeated to the players not to do so, the players could not listen to Ham, so he finally noted it down for his team.
If this iteration of the Lakers team wants to succeed, they will depend on their defense to be rock solid and their guards to shoot better than 1-25. But if this gets out of hand, the Lakers might have to seek a trade sooner or later. Will the Lakers end up sticking to this roster?
