LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were handed their fourth loss of the season on Wednesday night in a 17-point blowout at the hands of Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. It mercifully ended a 1-4 road trip and brought L.A. to 4-4 on the season after a 3-0 start.
However, Wednesday’s loss doesn’t appear that it’s a figment of anything bigger about the team. L.A. was missing two starters in Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura, still without Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood and had Christian Koloko playing his first NBA minutes in over a year.
And above all that, perhaps the most motivated person on the floor was Morant. The Grizzlies star had several on-court moments with James that showed how fired up he was to be getting a chance to win against the Lakers.
“I mean, I think I did the ‘Too small’ to somebody who was too small,” Morant said. “He came back and did it respectfully. He’s 6’8” or whatever, I would expect it. I thought it was a charge but he did it and I don’t back down from nobody. I don’t care who you are.
“My job was just to come back. I got my bucket and I set the tone. My teammates fed off of it and you saw what happened. The top dog in our league, you take out the top dog and who else do you fear? I don’t fear nobody anyway, but I don’t back down.”
Morant’s issues run deeper than just LeBron, as he has grown a dislike for the franchise with their wins against him over the last two seasons.
“I don’t like ‘em. They knocked me out the playoffs. And then last year we had a game and they came in here and popped it on our home floor when I was in street clothes. I wasn’t tonight.”
And while Morant says he wasn’t looking ahead to playing the Lakers, he didn’t want to turn down an opportunity to get a win after those events.
“Nah. He was just next on the schedule,” Morant said. “Lakers, actually. I wouldn’t even say him. Lakers. They beat us last time, I didn’t get to play like I said, last year. They came on our home floor and beat us on our home floor and was laughing, playing, looking at me, talking. My message was ‘I was in street clothes.’ This was my first opportunity to get back on the floor playing against them.”
The Lakers are often presented as a boogeyman for many franchises, even when L.A. does not have personal rivalries with them. With the Lakers shorthanded on Wednesday, Morant got the better of the them. But there will be other opportunities this season.
D’Angelo Russell benched in Lakers vs. Grizzlies
D’Angelo Russell has struggled to begin the 2024-25 season and that continued against the Grizzlies as he shot a mere 4-of-12 from the floor for 12 points. The Lakers ended up losing 131-114, ending their road trip on a low note.
It was a disappointing showing from Russell, who looked lackadaisical throughout the evening. After a couple of rough possessions in the third quarter, head coach JJ Redick benched Russell in favor of Gabe Vincent the rest of the way.
When asked why Russell only played 22 minutes, Redick explained he didn’t like his effort on the floor.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
