The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their seventh consecutive loss on Wednesday night and it came as Kobe Bryant made his final appearance in Memphis. Although the fans once again showed their appreciation for the five-time champion, there was nothing to cheer for on the Lakers end as the final buzzer rang. Memphis notched its second win on the season against the Lakers and walked off the court with a 128-119 win.
There wasn’t much defense played on either end of the court during the game and the Lakers allowed the Grizzlies to shoot 56 percent from the field. Memphis had six players in double figures and the Lakers were simply unable to put pressure on their scorers.
After the game, rookie D’Angelo Russell spoke to the media about the lackluster effort on defense, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
D'Angelo Russell (on TWCSN): "They (Memphis) ran their offense to perfection. We have trouble communicating for a full possession."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) February 25, 2016
D'Angelo Russell continuing: "We never really had all 5 guys locked in on defense, always either one or two guys sleeping." (on TWCSN)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) February 25, 2016
The Lakers are now 11-48 on the season and have nothing to really look forward to as the year comes to an end. The franchise is destined once again for the draft lottery and all this misery will be worth it, if the Lakers keep their pick. The worst possible scenario that can happen after all this losing is if the Lakers fall out of the top three and their selection goes to the Philadelphia 76ers (as a result of the Steve Nash trade in 2012).
Los Angeles will look to snap their current losing streak Friday night as they host these same Grizzlies at Staples Center.
