The bar for the Lakers to look functional on Friday night was remarkably low, a pair of unimaginably tough losses in Minnesota and Miami making “don’t be ashamed” the only hurdle the Lakers had to clear.
But the goals, even after two brutal performances, are higher than that.
The Lakers, while technically 70 points worse than the Timberwolves and the Heat, have shown that they can be a winning team, a team that can share the ball, that can shoot and, on occasion, a team that can be credible way to defend.
“The consistency is probably the frustrating part,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game. “It’s the consistency, because the group has shown that they can do it. The boys have shown that they can do it. It’s just the consistency of everything.”
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Against the suddenly hot Hawks, the Lakers showed that they could indeed do the things they needed to do to win. And they did so many of the things that normally cause teams to lose.
But victory doesn’t require perfection – just an advantage. And the Lakers couldn’t end it.
Their 134-132 overtime loss was full of things they did right and crucial mistakes that meant they would leave with a loss.
With the Lakers up by one in overtime, Anthony Davis’ pass to LeBron James was too casual, and Dyson Daniels stepped in front of it for the steal, no defenders between him and a go-ahead basket. But James, as he has done so often, caught up from behind, with a game-saving snap of the ball just slightly tilting the rim back toward the Lakers.
However, the Lakers could not get the ball cleanly in, and Atlanta forced a tie with Davis and gained possession after the ball went out of bounds on James.
With the game on the line, the only player on the court the Lakers didn’t want open, Trae Young, got open and hit a three. James’ last chance to turn the game around one last time was shattered and the Lakers lost for the seventh time in nine games.
“I don’t know what’s going to get us over the hump,” said a clearly frustrated James. ‘We just shouldn’t drown. Don’t drown, and we’ll be fine.”
Redick, in an effort to get more physicality on the field, moved D’Angelo Russell back to the bench and started Gabe Vincent. Austin Reaves remained out as he recovered in Los Angeles from the injury to his back and pelvic area that cost him four games.
“I think we can be better. Energy, effort, physicality – I think we took a big step tonight, but I think we are capable of a lot,” Vincent said. ‘We are still not whole. We can definitely get better.”
Vincent responded with his best game as a Laker, scoring twelve points and playing the kind of defense the Lakers wanted. But he and Davis miscommunicated on a switch at the top of the key that led to Young’s open game winner, crushing the Lakers on a night when they were playing mostly good basketball.
“It’s a mess,” Redick said. ‘…Leave it open.’
James scored 39 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, hitting 6 of 11 from three. Davis had 38 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, rebounding after a miserable game in Miami.
“If we continue to carry this mentality tonight,” Davis said, “everything will be fine.”
The Lakers, who had been in a lifeless slump for most of the past two weeks after a heartbreaking loss to Orlando and a mind-bending loss to familiar foe Denver, found a real rhythm early in the second half. They unleashed a 13-0 run on the Hawks, flying down the field, getting stops while converting on the offensive end, James even hitting a one-legged three, his shooting dry spell seemingly resolved.
But once they did, they allowed Atlanta to make three straight threes, dashing any hopes of rolling to the end.
And in the fourth quarter, the team’s execution and decision-making were good. Until it wasn’t anymore.
In the final few minutes, the Lakers tried to bleed the clock by inbounding the ball while it was running, with the shot clock not yet activated. Daniels rushed for the ball and Davis jumped in front of him and was called for an illegal screen.
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Daniels scored on the next possession to give the Hawks the lead. The Lakers scored twice late to tie the game and Max Christie blocked Young’s potential winner to send the game to overtime.
The Lakers weren’t ashamed on Friday. But they didn’t win either. The bar has undoubtedly been lowered on this journey; the Lakers were forced to find the silver linings after their opponent made more big plays than them.
“I told the group that I appreciated their effort, their intention and their energy. And honestly, a lot of their executions,” Redick said. “We did enough to win a basketball game. Like Orlando, like Oklahoma City, I thought we did enough to win a basketball game. And I greatly appreciate that.
“And you can build on that. You can adjust and plan and perhaps adjust some things later in the game. Those are things you can build on.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
