Sports

Lakers worn down by losing, but they insist 'everybody in the locker room gets along'

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2024

Lakers worn down by losing, but they insist 'everybody in the locker room gets along'

Inside a quiet Lakers locker room late Wednesday night, LeBron James dressed in silence while Anthony Davis spoke to the media in a soft voice next to his running partner. James slowly put his clothes on and left without speaking to the media.

The Lakers have lost three straight games and are 3-9 since winning the NBA’s in-season tournament a little more than three weeks ago.

The 110-96 loss to the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena left the Lakers in a sour mood.

“We’re losing,” guard Austin Reaves said. “Anytime you lose, the vibe should be off, you know? If I went in there and the vibe wasn’t off after the rough stretch that we’ve had, then I’d be concerned. That’s really it. You know, I don’t expect for us to be happy with how we’ve played. So, until we figure that out, you know, the vibe should be off. We got to win games.”

To be sure, Reaves said after producing 24 points, eight assists and five rebounds in a starting role again, he’s not suggesting there is an issue inside the locker room.

It’s just that losing brings misery.

“And to just go back to your question, when I say the vibe is off, it’s not like we don’t like each other. It’s we’re losing,” Reaves said. “We should be pissed off. We shouldn’t be happy after games with how we’re playing. But I don’t want to get that twisted on us not liking each other. Everybody in the locker room gets along. When the frustration of losing wears off a day or two later, it’s not like the vibe is off. The vibe is good being around one another.”

The only way to get out of this rut, Davis said, is by “competing.”

Davis said the group also can’t let making or missing shots stop them from competing on defense and offense.

“I think that kind of wore on guys a little bit, when their shot’s not falling, it kind of messes with guys and it kind of carries over to the next play — whether it’s offense or defense,” Davis said. “So, that will help but we just got to go out and compete, no matter what. Leave it all out on the floor. Doing the little things that kind of get you going.”

Davis did his share of the lifting for the Lakers, scoring 29 points, grabbing 17 rebounds, handing out six assists and blocking five shots.

“I know for me, if I am not playing well offensively, I’ll do the little things,” Davis said. “I’ll block a shot, I’ll go get a big rebound, I’ll dive on the floor and get a steal. Anything to kind of get you going. So, I think our little things that will help us kind of get back into a rhythm offensively, with our shot-making, but also kind of get us a little energy on the defensive end because right now we’re not doing anything on both ends.”

Lakers give the ball away too much

The Lakers were down 10 points when Davis and Reaves forced a missed shot by Bam Adebayo, putting the Lakers in position to put a dent in their deficit in the fourth quarter.

But after Davis got the defensive rebound, he threw the ball away, his pass to Reaves floating out of bounds and the Lakers’ fortunes going the same way after yet another turnover.

Davis crouched over, shaking his head at his ill-advised pass, one of the 22 turnovers the Lakers had against the Heat. It was one shy of the Lakers’ season high.

“You’re constantly turning the ball over — I had five — it’s deflating,” Davis said. “You can’t even get a shot on the rim, I mean, you get 10 in the first quarter. Twelve is usually the goal for a game. And we had 10 in the first quarter. So, it gets deflating, especially unforced turnovers. Bad passes or mishandling the ball. It’s those where it’s not even forced, those are the deflating ones. And they go out and score. And it just kept happening in the first quarter, which is, like I said, deflating. It kind of slows the game down and we dug ourselves a hole and it just kind of carried out through the rest of the game.”

The Lakers started the game being careless with the basketball, giving it away 10 times. They had 15 by the half.

But the tone was set in the first quarter.

Beside the five by Davis, Cam Reddish had four and Reaves had three.

The last turnover the Lakers had with four minutes and 50 seconds left in the game was the final straw for them.

They never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

“The outlet pass that AD tried to throw to me, which I thought he was tossing it to ‘Bron, so I was just running,” Reaves said. “But it’s little things like that. I’ve got to be better just not having those situations happen and maybe if we go down there and score, get some momentum and push to win that game. But the first quarter has got to be better.”

Poor shooting dooms Lakers

The Lakers took 30 three-point shots and made just four of them.

That’s 13.3%.

That’s not going to get it done in a league in which three-point shooting is needed to be successful.

James missed all six of his three-point attempts, Taurean Prince all five of his and Max Christie missed seven of his nine attempts.

“If you just look at the stat sheet, we got to shoot the ball better from three. Shooting 13% tonight, you are not going to win those games when you do that,” Reaves said. “…Basketball today you got to shoot the three well.”

Sports

Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU

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The chaos between LSU coaches who left Ole Miss alongside Lane Kiffin but are still coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff is certainly a whirlwind.

Joe Judge, Ole Miss’ quarterbacks coach, has found himself in the thick of the drama — while he is not headed for Baton Rouge, he’s had to wonder who he will be working with on a weekly basis.

When asked this week about what it’s like to go through all the trials and tribulations, Judge turned heads with his answer that evoked his New England Patriots days.

Aaron Hernandez sits in the courtroom of the Attleboro District Court during his hearing. Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Aug. 22, 2013. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

“My next-door neighbor was Aaron Hernandez,” Judge said, according to CBS Sports. “I know this is still more chaotic.”

Hernandez was found guilty of the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, which occurred just three years into his NFL career.

“If you watch those documentaries, my house is on the TV next door,” Judge added. “The detectives knocked on my door to find out where he was. I didn’t know. We just kind of talked to the organization. But it was obviously chaotic.”

Aaron Hernandez was convicted of the 2013 murder of semipro football player Odin Lloyd. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

FROM MR IRRELEVANT TO GENERATIONAL WEALTH, BROCK PURDY WANTS TO USE HIS LIFESTYLE FOR GOOD

Judge, though, was able to compare the two situations to see how players can combat wild distractions.

“Those players that year handled that extremely well. Came out of that chaos, and we had some really good direction inside with some veterans and some different guys. You have something like that happen — how do you handle something like that? How do you deal with something like that? So you keep the focus on what you can handle, what you can control, which at that time was football for us, and we went through the stretch, and we were able to have success that year,” Judge said.

Judge also compared this scenario to the 2020 NFL season when he was head coach of the New York Giants, saying he would have “no idea” who would be available due to surprise positive COVID-19 tests.

Head coach Joe Judge of the New York Giants looks on during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. The game took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The Rebels face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, the College Football Playoff Semifinal, on Thursday night.

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Sports

Prep talk: Calabasas basketball team is surging with 11 wins in last 12 games

Published

4 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Prep talk: Calabasas basketball team is surging with 11 wins in last 12 games

Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.

The Coyotes (13-5) have quietly turned around their season after a 2-4 start, winning 11 of their last 12 games.

One of the major contributors has been 6-foot-3 junior guard Johnny Thyfault, who’s averaging 16 points and has become a fan favorite because of his dunking skills. He also leads the team in taking charging fouls.

He transferred to Calabasas after his freshman year at Viewpoint.

As for beating Thousand Oaks, coach Jon Palarz said, “We got to play them at home and had great effort.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Sports

Hawks trade 4-time All-Star Trae Young to Wizards in blockbuster deal: reports

Published

16 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Hawks trade 4-time All-Star Trae Young to Wizards in blockbuster deal: reports

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The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young, trading him to the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster move, according to ESPN.

The Hawks will reportedly be receiving veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert in the deal.

Washington was Young’s preferred destination, and the two sides were working on a deal to get the 27-year-old point guard to the nation’s capital.

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Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2023 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. ( Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Young’s agents were having conversations with the Hawks, who sit at 17-21 so far this season, about trading their client out of Atlanta.

There is a mutual connection in Washington, too, as executive Travis Schlenk drafted Young fifth overall in 2018 out of Oklahoma.

It marks the end of an era for the Hawks. Young has been the focal point of their offense since he was taken in that draft. He is the team’s career leader in three-pointers and assists, having led the team to the postseason in three of his eight seasons. The Hawks went the furthest in 2021, where they made the Eastern Conference Finals.

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However, the new era was brewing already in Atlanta, with forward Jalen Johnson taking the next step in his career, averaging 23.7 points per game this season. The pickup of Nickeil Alexander-Walker also helps, as he’s averaged 20.5 points per game in 36 appearances.

Meanwhile, Young has played just 10 games this season, as he’s been dealing with leg injuries, most notably a right MCL sprain.

Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Hawks also get some flexibility on their books, as they could make some more moves. Anthony Davis is reportedly available from the Dallas Mavericks, making him a good target for Atlanta.

Young has $95 million remaining on his deal that runs through the 2026-27 season, which includes a player option this offseason.

Atlanta will be taking on McCollum’s contract, though the veteran guard has a $30.6 million expiring deal.

Through his 10 games this season, Young is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field.

Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks drives down the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena on April 7, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Over his career, Young has dropped 25.2 points and 9.8 assists per game, while leading the league in the latter category last season with 11.6 per contest.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.