A 29-point defeat in Minnesota on Monday. A 41-point defeat in Miami on Wednesday. Combined, these losses represent the worst two-game stretch in Los Angeles Lakers history. The Lakers were crushed by the Heat 134-93 on Wednesday, following a 109-80 loss to the Timberwolves two days prior. The 70-point margin of defeat is a record low for the Lakers over two games; they were outscored by 67 points in two separate two-game spans during the 2016-17 season.
"It's definitely tough to get beaten like that twice in a row," said Lakers star LeBron James. "Absolutely."
The Lakers had a six-game winning streak last month, bringing their record to 10-4. Since then, they are 2-6, with four of those losses coming by 25 points or more. Wednesday's 41-point loss was not only the worst of the season but also marked only the 11th time in Lakers history—over 6,800 games, including playoffs—that they've lost by more than 40 points.
"I'm humiliated," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "We're all humiliated."
Redick, now 12-10 in his first year as a coach, has faced his toughest stretch yet. In his postgame comments, he alternated between taking responsibility—"I'll take full ownership. This is my team and I lead it," he said—and acknowledging that the team is struggling with basic aspects of the game plan.
"There's not a sense from me that we're together right now," Redick said. "And that's what we say in the huddle. It doesn't feel that way. We're in a tough stretch and we're all trying to find our way."
Miami outscored the Lakers 72-15 from three-point range—a 57-point differential that ties the fourth-largest in NBA history.
"We're having trouble on both ends with basic gameplan stuff," Redick said. "It's strange. Very strange."
Anthony Davis had a season-low 12 points for the Lakers on Monday. He scored just 8 points on Wednesday, shooting 3-for-14.
"Guys are doing their part. I'm not doing mine, which is tough for our team," Davis said. "I just have to play better individually on both ends. I hold myself to a higher standard and I haven't been doing what I need to do—especially offensively for our team."
James agreed with everything Redick said, and Davis echoed his coach's sentiment.
"Humiliating," Davis said.
James hopes the rest of the Lakers' locker room embraces that level of accountability. He insisted that his 22 years in the league have taught him not to overreact to results.
"I've been in this game way too long," he said. "Never get too high, never get too low. Because I know how quickly things can change."
The Lakers play in Atlanta on Friday, return home to face Portland on Sunday, and then enjoy a few days off—the NBA Cup quarter-finals on December 10 and 11 provide a built-in break for teams that didn't advance to the knockout stage—to practice and find solutions.
"When you're individually struggling and relying on everyone else to cover for you, I think it starts with the individual first," James said. "All of us have to take accountability."
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