Fans and observers watching the Los Angeles Lakers had a field day when the team no-showed against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Any goodwill the Lakers had built after their previous four-game winning streak was erased after getting blown out by the Nuggets, who came into the game shorthanded. The lack of effort was apparent and it is clear some changes need to be made to turn things around.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson did not mince words after watching the team embarrass themselves,taking to Twitter to offer his criticism:
After being blown out by the Nuggets 133-96, we as @Lakers fans can accept being outplayed but we deserve more than a lack of effort and no sense of urgency. Owner @JeanieBuss, you deserve better.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 16, 2022
Russell Westbrook similarly called out L.A. for their effort, but did not offer much of a response in regards to Johnson’s tweet.
“I do not have a reaction,” Westbrook said. “Everybody is entitled in this world to their opinion regardless of what that is. You can either take it and run with it or you can take it and put it in one ear and out the other, or you can not respond to it.
“But Magic is entitled to his opinion and he’s not here every day, he’s not around us every day. He’s not aware of kind of what’s going on internally with us and trying to figure things out. But I have no response to that, but like I said, everybody in this world is entitled to their opinion and that’s that.”
Los Angeles may be trying their best to work on issues behind closed doors, but to the outside world it looks like nothing is happening as they repeatedly look flat every time a team decides to punch first. It is frustrating to watch it over and over again, so it is hard to blame Johnson for his comments.
With the trade deadline looming, it feels like the Lakers have to make some sort of move but in the meantime, they will need to simply play harder if they want to start winning games again.
Dwight Howard reflects on poor effort in loss to Nuggets
Dwight Howard got the start against the Nuggets, and while he provided his usual brand of energy and effort, the rest of the team failed to follow suit. Howard reflected on the Lakers’ lackluster showing and admitted questions about their effort should not keep occurring.
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