Another game, another disappointing and inexcusable loss for the Los Angeles Lakers. This time, it happened against a team that seemed eminently beatable. The Houston Rockets came into the contest 3-3, which was barely a better record than the Lakers’ 3-4 mark.
The Lakers endured yet another bad start on Wednesday. They trailed, 32-19, at the end of the first quarter: They couldn’t throw a penny into the Gulf of Mexico. In that first period, they shot 36.8% from the field and 1-of-6 from 3-point range. Their ice-cold marksmanship even froze the free-throw line, where they were 4-of-10. At the end of the period, Rui Hachimura was fouled on a halfcourt heave, yet made only one of the three ensuing foul shots.
Los Angeles was down 66-45 at the half not only because its offense was poor, but also because it couldn’t get stops. Houston shot 56.1% and had 44 points in the paint, 12 second-chance points and 15 fast-break points in the first half at the Purple and Gold’s expense.
The situation grew even worse in the second half. The Lakers trailed by as many as 35 points, and they essentially waved the white flag to start the fourth quarter before losing 128-94.
Anthony Davis didn’t play because of a hip ailment, and Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes were also out. While they came into this contest short-handed, it was no excuse for their utter lack of effort and energy. Yet again, they were outrebounded, this time by an embarrassing 64-42 margin.
With a 3-5 record, they’re on the verge of letting the early season period get out of hand.
Christian Wood: D
Wood started in place of the ailing Davis, but he provided next to nothing. In 22 minutes, he grabbed four rebounds, but he took one shot and didn’t score. Such an effort was simply unacceptable, especially in this type of situation with the Lakers so thin due to injury.
Taurean Prince: B
Prince shot 3-of-6 from the field and 1-of-2 from downtown, giving him seven points in 27 minutes. This was a decent game for him, at least offensively, but he has to rectify his trend of playing well only once every two or three games.
Austin Reaves: D
After two very strong games, Reaves just didn’t have it in Houston. He shot 2-of-9 overall and missed all four of his 3-point attempts, giving him seven points to go along with four assists and two steals.
To make matters worse, it looked like Houston went at Reaves defensively at times, making him guard players one-on-one in space. The Lakers’ help defense was slow to arrive, and it was a factor in them giving up 68 points in the paint.
D'Angelo Russell: B/B-plus
Russell struggled offensively early, but he started to heat up in the third quarter, shooting 6-of-8 in the period. Unfortunately, it had no effect on the outcome of the game.
He finished with 22 points on 9-of-8 overall shooting and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to go along with four assists. He even showed some defensive effort with three blocked shots, which stood out, given the fact that as a team, the Lakers’ defensive effort was extremely poor.
LeBron James: C
James asserted himself for a period of time in the third quarter to try to spark his team. Other than that, he seemed to be pacing himself, perhaps because the game was out of reach, and he wanted to see if his teammates would do their part to make things competitive.
He finished shooting 7-of-13 to score 18 points, but he had only two assists. A big reason for his low assist total was the fact L.A. went 7-of-25 from 3-point land and shot 42.9% overall.
Perhaps a silver lining from this awful loss is James only played 27 minutes and sat all of the fourth quarter after coming into the game averaging 35.9 minutes a game, which was tied for ninth in the NBA. Perhaps he will be fresh for Friday’s game versus the Phoenix Suns.
Rui Hachimura: A
Rui Hachimura was almost a one-man gang offensively in the first half. He had 15 of the Lakers’ 44 points. He was the only member of the team who played well on offense throughout the night.
He scored 24 points on 10-of-14 field-goal shooting and 2-of-3 from downtown, and he also contributed eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot. He had missed the previous four games due to injury, and having him back is huge for a Lakers team that badly needs wins and, in general, some positive energy.
Cam Reddish: C
Coming off missing the potential game-winning 3-pointer on Monday versus the Miami Heat, Reddish shot just 2-of-7 and 0-of-3 from long-range on Wednesday. He had three steals, but he needs to start providing something positive on offense, especially from 3-point range — period.
When Reddish comes into the game, it is clear how much of a dearth of talent and depth Los Angeles has given its current injury situation.
Max Christie: C-plus
In 28 minutes, the second-year man shot just 1-of-8, and it is becoming clear he isn’t ready to crack the Lakers’ regular rotation when they’re at full strength.
However, one can never accuse Christie of not playing hard. He grabbed eight rebounds, blocked a shot and even dished three assists. The energy and effort he plays with can keep him in the NBA for quite some time, even if he never really develops any consistent accuracy with his shooting.
Colin Castleton: C
Castleton had 14 minutes of playing time with Davis and Hayes out. He had two points, two rebounds and two assists, but he also picked up five fouls.
D'Moi Hodge: D
In 10 minutes, Hodge, an undrafted rookie guard, made 1-of-3 shots, scored three points and added one assist and one blocked shot.
Maxwell Lewis: Incomplete
The 6-foot-7 rookie forward, who was a second-round draft pick in June, played eight minutes and missed both of his shot attempts. His only positive contribution was one rebound.
