Despite falling behind by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers battled back and nearly tied the game before ultimately falling to the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite the loss, the Lakers played inspired basketball and were competitive against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
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Kobe Bryant felt good about the Lakers play as well, and said the team could get back into contention if they continue down this road according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters via TWC SportsNet:
Kobe: "We played very well. We play this way, we'll get ourselves right back into contention." (on TWC)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 12, 2014
On the road against one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the fact that the Lakers were able to hang around is definitely a reason for optimism. After being blown out the first three games of the season, the Lakers have looked much better in the last four games.
The Lakers were solid defensively, holding the vaunted Grizzlies frontcourt to only 19 points combined on 7/20 shooting from the field. The offense has also continued to improve, with more ball movement and passing.
Contention in the Western Conference is a tough task. There are no off-days and even teams thought to be bad like the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz have looked much improved in this early season. Even if the Lakers aren’t able to become a playoff contender, at the least they have the look of a team who will play tough every night.
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