The Los Angeles Lakers took another loss at the start of the NBA season, but the Purple and Gold's new head coach Darvin Ham still expressed admiration on the team's effort.
The Lakers lost 103-97 to the Clippers, despite LeBron James' 20 points and 10 boards and Davis' 25 points and eight boards after hurting his back in a hard fall in the third quarter.
Another Poor Performance From Westbrook
Darvin Ham said that the Lakers are going in the "right direction" due to their "no-quit" mindset, as per a report published by Inquirer. "Our competitive spirit was there," Anthony Davis believes that the Lakers executed the defense well but need to improve shot selection and execution of plays.
The Clippers beat the Lakers in their season opener thanks to 14 points from Kawhi Leonard, who was playing in his first game since 2021. After Kawhi Leonard missed all of 2021-22 with an ACL tear, the LA Clippers and their medical staff decided it would be best for him to come off the bench in the early part of the 2022-23 NBA season.
The two-time champ believes that his teammates can get the job done while he attempts to achieve consistency in his game while recovering. Kawhi Leonard scored 14 points (6-12 FG, 1-4 3Pt) in 21 minutes as a reserve and grabbed seven boards.
LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue noted that despite his impressive performance, Leonard still exhibited issues with his endurance during the Lakers vs. Clippers game. Kawhi Leonard showed signs of his healthy form on back-to-back possessions after entering the game with 6:25 remaining in the second quarter.
After Leonard came into the NBA game, the Lakers embarked on an 18-4 run to cut the Clippers' advantage to 56-54 at halftime. While Leonard was on the court, the Clippers went on an 18-9 run to start the third quarter and were leading by as many as 11 points before he was benched.
When Leonard finished out the final 8:01 of the fourth quarter, the Clippers outscored the Lakers 14-10. Lakers' Lonnie Walker IV had a good game, scoring 20 in his 31 minutes of play, per NBA report.
Due to the team's struggles on the offensive end, the latest loss of the LA Lakers performance may be mostly attributed to Russ. The former league MVP's offensive performance was awful, as he scored only two points on 0-for-11 shooting, according to SB Nation.
When asked about the team's lack of shooting ability following the season opener loss to the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James pointed out that his team lacks "great shooting."
"It's not like we're sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team," LeBron James noted.
Rebounding is another challenge for the Lakers, considering their size deficits.They lost the rebounding battle tonight, 58-38, and they were outrebounded in all of their exhibition games. The team's 0-2 start may be attributed to various factors, including poor three-point shooting, lackluster performance from role players, and being severely outrebounded.
LeBron James and the Lakers Draw Ire From Fans
Consequently, LeBron James and the Lakers continue to get harsh criticism from fans who are dissatisfied with the team's continued dismal play on the hardwood after the Lakers missed the playoffs for a second straight season.
Many of the fans vented their ire on Twitter, calling out LeBron James, regarded as the greatest player of this generation, for his perceived lack of leadership on a team packed with amazing talent. Here are some of the mean tweets after the Lakers vs. Clippers game:
I've been a Laker fan since Kareem went to LA. LeBron ain't no Laker. He just plays for them; sometimes. You think he gives a damn about the Lakers legacy; or their future? What I don't appreciate is Jeannie Buss allowing him to turn a proud franchise into a bunch of bums.
— tonycherry77 (@erictheenemy) October 21, 2022
Lakers funs every time someone besides A.daVis or J.leBron shoot a 3pointer 😂 pic.twitter.com/cLv7JwNRRE
— Everest (@Everest_tush) October 21, 2022
Lakers won one mickey mouse title and are gonna miss the playoffs or lose in the first round in every Lebron season.
— Cristobal Luis (@chris_teez26) October 21, 2022
I still remember that guy in twitter investigating how the Lakers account never posts a picture of LeBron when they post a losing score. Only a winning score 😂 https://t.co/RfJ50mqZ56
— Rajko Avlijas (@RajkoAvlijas) October 21, 2022
Fans still hope that the Lakers would take these remarks ask challenge to make necessary adjustments to improve their game and prove these statements wrong. Anyway, the NBA season is just getting started.
