Lakers’ offense continues to plummet in blowout loss to Minnesota
The Los Angeles lakers have been in free fall as soon as they pass halfcourt. The Purple-and-Gold returned to their former home city on Monday night but couldn’t have looked more out of place. Visibly frustrated, they watched shot after shot clank off the rim — or miss it completely — while the Minnesota Timberwolves steadily added to their lead. By the final buzzer, the Lakers were on the wrong side of a nearly 30-point blowout loss with a final score of 109-80. The Lakers’ offense came to a screeching halt and their measly 80 points marked their lowest point total of not only this season but of the entire Lebron James era They shot a season-low 40% from the field and connected on just 19% of their shots from beyond the arc, their lowest mark since the season opener.
Point guard D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 20 points, while the dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis was anything but. Both All-Stars recorded season-low point totals, with James posting 10 on 25% shooting and Davis contributing 12 on 29%.
The team’s motion — something head coach JJ Redick has listed as a primary factor in their success — was especially stagnant in Monday’s contest. Thwarted by the lack of “ball and body movement,” the Lakers failed to reach 20+ assists for the first time this season. In their last five games, the Lakers have had the third-worst offensive rating in the NBA (102.9). They have scored the least points per game – averaging under 100 – while shooting a league-worst 27% from three. When asked about the team’s recent offensive lulls, james we didn’t beat around the bush:
Both James and Redick shared the opinion that the team might have spent too much time working on their defense, which has struggled in its own right, and that their offense has dragged as a result.
“I think we spent so much time trying to get our defense corrected that our offense took a toll and took a back seat to that,” said James. The Lakers haven’t looked the same since they were outscored 70-39 in the second half of their loss against the Denver Nuggets on Nov 23. At the time, Redick emphasized that it was a one-time occurrence. Five games later, though, he views that half started a pattern, saying, “It’s looking more and more like it’s not an aberration.” In their last five games, the Lakers have had the third-worst offensive rating in the NBA (102.9). They have scored the least points per game – averaging under 100 – while shooting a league-worst 27% from three.
