After two losses in which the Los Angeles Lakers lost by a combined 70 points and didn’t reach 95 points in either game, an overtime loss to a red-hot Atlanta Hawks team nearly felt like a win. There were certainly some execution issues — especially down the stretch — but even players on the roster, like Max Christie, admitted that just being competitive was a victory.
The Lakers lost by two points in overtime to the Hawks, who secured their sixth consecutive victory. It was close throughout, with the Lakers holding an 11-point lead and the Hawks never leading by more than six. But ultimately, the Hawks were the better team in the moments that it mattered most.
Christie spoke about the Lakers’ effort level after two embarrassing losses, and he felt much better about where the Lakers are at on Friday night, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Like you said, if you’re looking at it from a process standpoint, this was a good bounce-back for us. I thought us as a cohesive unit was a lot better than Miami or previously on the road trip. I thought our communication was better. I think we did enough to win the game but they hit a big shot at the end. Overall, from a process standpoint, this is a good step in the right direction.”
Even with that in mind, Christie was still disappointed with the fact that the Lakers have lost seven of their last nine and look to be a tier below the league’s elite:
“It’s difficult. We all want to win, that’s obviously what we’re here for. But I think over some reflection and watching film and I think even tomorrow we’ll see when we’re watching film that we got better from previous games on this road trip. Just looking at a process standpoint, we took a step in the right direction even though then outcome wasn’t there. So that’s all we can ask for, to be honest. Obviously we wanted to win but I think this game will serve us in the future.”
In order for the Lakers to make legitimate strides, they first have to be competitive and execute at a base level to then see what can and needs to be adjusted. After their previous two games, there were no real learning lessons to be had.
Now, the Lakers have film they can break down and make real-time adjustments from. And hopefully, it does serve them better in their upcoming stretch as they return home.
Anthony Davis discusses defensive issues
L.A. hung tough with a red-hot Hawks team on the search for their sixth consecutive win. The game was pushed to overtime, and it took a last second shot from Trae Young to seal the victory for Atlanta. While the mistakes were different, it looked similar to their loss to the Orlando Magic instead of the last two outings.
Some of those mistakes came in big moments on the defensive end. Davis spoke about where things went wrong on his end while still applauding the effort level from the Lakers.
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