Nick Young On Lineup Changes: ‘First Game Is Always Going To Be Tough’

The Los Angeles Lakers got embarrassed Sunday night in their first game back from a three-game road trip. Despite a solid first half in which the Lakers stayed in striking distance, the New Orleans Pelicans ran away in the second half to win, 104-87.

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This was the first game head coach Byron Scott made his lineup changes which demoted Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer, and placed Ronnie Price and Ed Davis in the starting lineup. However, even those adjustments didn’t do much in terms of team success and the Lakers suffered a disheartening loss. After the game, Nick Young spoke to the media and talked about the adjustment period for the new lineup, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:

Young has been arguably the Lakers’ second best player this season, but coach Scott said he prefers to have him come off the bench. As the leader of the second unit, Young finished the game with 13 whereas the former starting point guard, Jeremy Lin, ended up with just three points on 1 of 3 shooting.

The Lakers currently stand at a record of 5-16 and are creating a bigger and bigger hole in the Western Conference standings. Los Angeles is 13 games behind the division leading Golden State Warriors and need to turn its season around as soon as possible to even catch the Sacramento Kings.

Lakers Vs. Pelicans: Team Reacts To Starting Lineup Changes