We’re all competitive. I’m competitive. We have to be about the process and doing things the right way and building that consistency,” he said Tuesday night. “I believe that if our group does that, we’ll have good results and results we can live with.”
But after two days of hammering home a need to be physical, two days after they were badly beaten by a rival in a third quarter in which they “stopped playing” in their own coach’s assessment, the Lakers again failed to be felt on the defensive end.
Facing a potent team in Phoenix, one that they are fighting both in the West and in their NBA Cup group, the Lakers again were outclassed in the second half, losing 127-100 to the Suns at Footprint Center.
They’ve lost three straight games.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds while LeBron James had 18 points and 10 assists, though he had five turnovers. D’Angelo Russell scored 16 off the bench, his first game in double figures since Nov. 15.
The Lakers play their final group game in the NBA Cup on Friday at home against Oklahoma City, needing a win (and likely a loss by the Suns to the San Antonio Spurs) to have a chance at the knockout stages because of point-differential tiebreakers.
