It should have been “No Ja, no problem” for the Lakers. Considering how they were able to claim Game One of their first round series against the Grizzlies at the FedExForum, conventional wisdom had them prevailing in yesterday’s match as well following news that Morant, the hosts’ leading scorer and acknowledged leader, would not be able to suit up due to injury. Momentum was theirs; they carved victory on the road pulling away, stretching their winning run to four games.
Unfortunately, the Lakers could not have started the match worse. After four minutes and change, they found themselves in a hole they would not be able to climb out of until the final buzzer. By the time the first quarter ended, the deficit they faced was already in double digits. And, for all their supposed firepower, they needed to expend not inconsiderable energy simply to try to stay abreast of the Grizzlies. That they ultimately failed in their bid speaks volumes of their streaky shooting.
Make no mistake. The Lakers tried. Their defense remained stout, holding the Grizzlies, who normed 116.9 points per outing in the regular season, to 103 when the battle smoke cleared. Their problem was their inability to make leather and nylon meet with any modicum of consistency. They shot only 26.9% from three-point range and 41.2% overall, hardly numbers that lend well to success. And it wasn’t as if they made up for their salty touch with extra effort; they had fewer rebounds and assists, and committed more turnovers.
Which is to say the Lakers didn’t help their cause any. They had a grand opportunity to stamp their class and set up a series finish at home. Instead, they saw supposed anchor Anthony Davis play poorly. Meanwhile, surefire Hall of Famer LeBron James wound up with an atrocious minus-17 line in the 39 minutes he was on the court, negating the 28 and 12 he posted. Clearly, they need help — not unlike the way the Grizzlies collectively overcome supposed handicaps. And the help wasn’t enough. Rui Hachimura once again delivered with 20, but Austin Reaves had a pedestrian 12 to add to De’Angelo Russell’s measly five.
The glass-half-full perspective has the Lakers fulfilling their objective of one on the road. The flipside is that they need to prove they can take care of business at the Crypto.com Arena. In this regard, fans are only right to wonder: Which version will show up? The answer figures to determine their fate.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
