“It’s embarrassing for all of us”: The Skidding Lakers lose by 41 points in a duel against the Heat

“It’s embarrassing for all of us”: The Skidding Lakers lose by 41 points in a duel against the Heat

MIAMI After a 41-point loss to the Miami Heat and their sixth loss in eight games, the Los Angeles Lakers locker room key players took responsibility for their latest exit.

“I’m embarrassed,” coach JJ Redick said. “It’s embarrassing for all of us. It’s not a game where I thought we had the right fight and the right professionalism. I’m not sure what was lost in translation. There has to be a certain level of personal responsibility on the pitch and I take all the personal responsibility in the world. This is my team and I lead it and I’m embarrassed.”

LeBron James, who broke out of one of the worst shooting slumps of his 22-year career to hit his first three-pointer in five games, said he agreed with Redick’s postgame assessments and defended the coaching staff.

“It’s not the coaches’ fault,” said James, who missed 20 straight three-pointers before making one in the second quarter. “It’s definitely up to us.”

Anthony Davis — who scored a season-low eight points on 3-for-14 shooting and often paced the floor — blamed himself. This signaled back-to-back games in which Davis set a season low in points. He previously scored a season-low 12 points in the Lakers’ 29-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

“I hate losing,” Davis said. “The way we lose, we play badly, exhausted. I don’t play well individually. It’s an accumulation of things and it’s frustrating. …And it’s up to us. To be honest, it’s up to us players. We get the plans. The plans are on point. But we just have to go out and do it and execute them. But I just have to stand up for the team.”

The loss dropped the Lakers to 12-10. They sit in ninth place in the Western Conference after opening the season 10-4. In four of their six losses during that time, they lost by more than 20 points. Their average margin of defeat during this period is 21.8 points per game.

“I don’t feel like we’re together right now,” Redick said. “And we say that in the huddle. Doesn’t feel like that. Doesn’t feel like that. And once again we find ourselves in a difficult phase. And we’re all trying to find it.”

This was the third time the Lakers exceeded 20 points in the second half, with the third quarter particularly marking the low point. They were outscored by 22 points in the third quarter on Nov. 23 against Denver in Los Angeles, by 18 points on Nov. 26 against the Suns in Phoenix and by 16 points on Wednesday against the Heat.

“I don’t know,” James said of Los Angeles’ second-half struggles. “We need to find out because it’s definitely embarrassing.”

Tyler Herro has been at the top of the Lakers’ defensive scouting report as he leads the Heat in scoring (23.7 points per game entering Wednesday’s contest). But he faded in the third quarter, scoring 21 of his 31 points, including seven 3-pointers, as the Lakers looked defensively disinterested and uncompetitive.

Herro’s outburst took the Heat from a 17-point lead at halftime to a 33-point lead in the fourth quarter. Redick said the Lakers didn’t execute the game plan they discussed at shootaround, before the game or at halftime.

“We’re having issues with base-level game plans on both sides right now,” Redick said. “It’s strange. It’s very strange. And I don’t know if that’s because of the travel and the lack of practice time. … You can’t really make adjustments if you can’t run base coverage.”

The Lakers wrap up their four-game road trip in Atlanta on Friday. Redick said he plans to meet with the players – including some individually – and the coaching staff to find a way out of their recent slump.

James said he viewed the team’s next film session as an opportunity for the group to have some of the difficult conversations they need to have.

“I think we can definitely do it,” James said. “And just look at yourself when you’re not doing well as an individual and you’re trying to rely on everyone else to take care of you. I think it starts with the individual first. We all have to take responsibility. It’s great to see it in the film and bring it up right there – right then and there. And then it continues.”

Required reading

(Photo: Joe Murphy/Getty Images)

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