Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

It was fun while it lasted.

The Lakers have fallen back into (even earlier) early season habits around bad shooting and stagnant offense. Both were on display Sunday as the Lakers lost to Cleveland at the Crypt, falling to 2-7 on the year with a Monday game against the surprisingly excellent Utah Jazz (who spanked the Lakers in LA on Friday). Anthony Davis was strong early, but invisible down the stretch, scoring no points in the fourth quarter for the third straight game. He only took two shots in the second half, and while in previous games some of the late game invisibility can be attributed to his recurring back problem, that didn't seem to be an issue Sunday.

So what gives? Is it an AD problem? Something related to the rest of the offense? A problem with a deteriorating defense?

Yes, yes, and yes.

This was not a Dear Diary night for the supporting cast, either. Russell Westbrook was fantastic (particularly early), scoring 12 first quarter points and finishing with 19. He also singlehandedly outscored the rest of the bench, which isn't good. Lonnie Walker IV had an off night, and Kendrick Nunn, starting for an ill Pat Beverley, scored no points. None. Zero.

After, Darvin Ham said those guys need to be better. And he's right! But is that, in broad terms, a fair expectation? Have the Lakers built the type of roster where supporting players should be expected to contribute at the level the Lakers will need in order to make any noise this season? (Any good noise, at least?)

Much to unpack as the Danger! lights are flashing bright.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers lose and the offense falters again.

SEGMENT 2: Why isn't AD performing late in games?

SEGMENT 3: Darvin lays down a marker for the supporting cast. Is it fair, though?

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Well, if you were wondering whether Anthony Davis could continue this forward momentum against better competition, following some dominant games against bad frontcourts, you got your answer Tuesday. Davis was, literally, historically good, dropping 37 points on only 17 shots, then adding 21 rebounds, five steals and five blocks.

He was, it could be argued, the only reason the Lakers, who otherwise were not good offensively as a team (4-22 from 3-point range, 17 turnovers, 0 points combined from Troy Brown, Patrick Beverley, Dennis Schroder and Wenyen Gabriel), were competitive deep into the fourth quarter. And it's an indication of what it means for the Lakers when Davis plays like a guy who could be argued as one of, if not the, best player in the league vs. a more run of the mill All Star.

The Lakers need more of it, and then need LeBron James to elevate once he's back on the floor, which according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes is expected to be Friday in San Antonio.

Finally, Patrick Beverley got himself ejected from Tuesday's game for sticking up for Austin Reaves! Specifically for throwing a nasty check into the back of DeAndre Ayton while the Suns center was looming over Reaves, clearly taunting by any standard. A scuffle ensued, and Beverley didn't even wait to head to the locker room, because he knew he was getting tossed.

Little picture, he wasn't offering a ton, anyway. Big picture, is this the sort of thing the Lakers need from him? What is Pat Bev's real niche on this team, given his high net rating but total lack of scoring? On a different team, the answer might be different. On this one, though?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers may have lost on Tuesday, but Anthony Davis certainly won.

SEGMENT 2: Did the Lakers do enough to make the three game win streak seem like a legitimate moment of positivity and something to build on, rather than a mirage fueled by bad competition?

SEGMENT 3: Pat Bev gets tossed!

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The Lakers have won five straight at a time when the rest of the conference is slumping. The Suns and Clippers have both lost six straight. The Jazz are sliding, the Blazers with them. as a result, the Lakers aren't just in contact with the play-in, they're creeping up on the real live playoff teams. Just a couple games back of the five spot.

That's a ton of unexpected progress at a time when, with Anthony Davis (and more!) on the sidelines, the Lakers just weren't thought of as a competitive team.

Yet here we are! And with that, LeBron James is cranking up the heat on the team's front office to kick it into high gear and make some trades to help improve the roster. Not later, not next season, now. In a walk-and-talk following Saturday's win over Sacramento with The Athletic's Sam Amick, LeBron said without saying that he thinks the front office should make a move. Sunday on Twitter, he tried to dial it back, but even a generous reading of the conversation (printed in full at The Athletic, and recreated on this podcast!) makes it pretty clear what James wants.

And of course he does! LeBron likes LA, and so does his family. He doesn't want to leave them, and they're not going anywhere. Meanwhile, he wants to play meaningful basketball as his career eventually winds down. The easiest way to make both of those things happen is for the Lakers to go all in. He even made it clear that while he wants to play with Bronny James should his son enter the NBA while LeBron is still in it, that doesn't mean they have to be on the same team. Sure, that would be great, preferable even, but just facing off against his son on an NBA court would do the trick.

That tells the Lakers it's safe to make trades, because I'm not just jumping ship in a year to play with my kid, wherever he ends up.

But with that in mind, is there a blockbuster type deal with those two first rounders available to make? Would a smaller deal for Detroit's Alec Burks (whether literally, or someone at his level) be enough to make a difference in this team's fortunes? Who is out there to be had?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers keep winning, improbably for sure, and gaining ground on a slumping Western Conference.

SEGMENT 2: LeBron widens the parameters of what "playing with Bronny" means. Why it matters, a lot.

SEGMENT 3: LeBron raises the temperature on the front office.

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Lakers lose, 139-116 with LeBron James on the sidelines.

Darvin Ham said following Monday's game that he didn't come to Los Angeles to lose, and the Lakers didn't bring him to LA to lose... but that's what the team is doing right now. Monday's 139-116 loss to the Jazz in Utah dropped them to 2-8, an already big hole in a brutally competitive conference. LeBron James missed Monday's game with a nagging foot injury, and Ham said they'll have to monitor his minutes going forward. That's not good. Patrick Beverley and Lonnie Walker IV missed the game with illness, leaving the Lakers very shorthanded against a Jazz team that is now the best in the West.

So from a talent standpoint, the Lakers really didn't have much business winning.

Still, giving up 76 points in the first half? 139 overall? After 114 vs. Cleveland, and 130 vs. Utah on Friday? The wheels are coming off that defense that played so well earlier in the year, something Ham says needs to change quickly.

This team, Ham says, will turn a corner and should bottle these moments so that when they have good team problems everyone complains about, they can remember this stretch to understand how far they've come. Let's assume that day comes... where will the Lakers be when it happens?

Meanwhile, it's pretty amazing that the one big bright spot for these 2-8 Lakers? Russell Westbrook, whose transformation into killer sixth man continued on Monday. 24 points on 8-14 shooting, with five dimes. That he's the one thing Lakers fans seem genuinely excited about is quite a turn of events.

But what happens next?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers are outmanned with LeBron and others on the sidelines, losing to Utah and falling to 2-8.

SEGMENT 2: LeBron James is going to be treated with care going forward. Do the Lakers have the flexibility to make that work?

SEGMENT 3: Russell Westbrook... silver lining!

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Through three quarters, the Lakers were on track for their best, most impressive win of the season. The kind of game that would validate winning five of six against lesser competition. Instead, they let Indiana back in, losing a 17-point lead over the final 10 minutes, losing to the Pacers on a last-second 3-pointer from rookie Andrew Nembhard.

Nothing went well for the Lakers down the stretch. The defense broke down, as Indiana came up with multiple offensive rebounds (including the most critical one, on the game's final sequence). LeBron James was 2-8 from the floor. The Lakers couldn't figure out a way to shake Anthony Davis loose from an aggressive Pacers defense. And LA's defense fell apart on that last play, with multiple miscues including one from James.

Really, though, it never should have reached that point. The Lakers have little experience closing teams out (and with only one win against a team over .500, no real experience closing out good teams) and it showed.

But beyond the disappointment, this is a killer loss for a team trying desperately to climb out of an early season hole and about to head out on the road basically for the month of December. 8-11 looks a lot better than 7-12.

Oh, and LeBron tweaked his ankle in the first half. He played, but it remains to be seen what happens once his body cools down.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers blew a massive fourth quarter lead and suffered an inexcusable loss.

SEGMENT 2: The game's final play was a microcosm of the game's final quarter for the Lakers.

SEGMENT 3: LeBron is banged up, again. Did the Lakers properly plan for this?

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BetOnline

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