James Worthy exasperated at the LA Lakers’ lack of effort: "I need a drink… 35 fastbreak points for Denver, that’s not good, that’s a big number"
The LA Lakers shot 44.4% from the field against the Denver Nuggets but were still soundly beaten 110-99 on Wednesday. The glaring difference in fastbreak points was the biggest culprit in the Lakers’ fourth loss of the season.
After the game, Laker legend James Worthy shared his thoughts on the Nuggets’ drubbing of his former team:
“I need a drink. … Thirty-five fastbreak points for Denver, that’s not good, that’s a big number. Your transition defense just wasn't there. When your transition defense is not there, that's a lack of effort which is kind of what your mental state is.
"I know they’re 0-3 early in the season, coming off a loss to Portland which kind of stung them. But coming with a lackluster effort in the transition defensive area is just disappointing.”
#Lakers continue to struggle and for the 4th time in franchise history, they fall to 0-4 to start the season. https://t.co/9d7x4ck5Ru
The LA Lakers fought tooth and nail in the first 24 minutes of the game. They were active and engaged on defense, which kept the Nuggets’ prolific offense at bay. The Lakers also made enough shots to rally in the second quarter to tie the game heading into the second half.
For some reason, the Lakers looked like a different team coming from the break. The intensity and hustle on defense was nothing but a distant memory. They had several careless turnovers which led to easy Denver Nuggets fastbreak points. Denver’s searing 29-9 run in the third period was the separation the team needed.
LeBron James had an off-night, which prompted diehard “King James” fan Shannon Sharpe to tweet that the LA Lakers superstar hasn’t played this bad ever. The four-time MVP was scoreless in the first quarter. When the Nuggets made their run, he contributed only four points, one assist and three turnovers.
Lakers are just a bad basketball tm. With or w/o Russ. They’re TERRIBLE. Bron has 7 turnovers with 4-10 shooting. He’s playing the worse gm I’ve seen in play in 4ever. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Last season, the Lakers also turned in one of their most inept performances against the Denver Nuggets. Denver ran the Lakers off the court so badly that Magic Johnson called them out for their embarrassing display.
This wasn’t of the same magnitude, but it looked a little ugly for the LA Lakers. The lead ballooned to 18 with a little over two minutes left in the game, which was when Darvin Ham decided to wave the white flag.
LA Lakers offense continues to be historically bad from the 3-point line
The Denver Nuggets were one of the NBA’s worst defensive teams. They allow opponents to score 119.4 points on them and are 23rd in defensive rating. Despite Denver’s defensive weaknesses, the LA Lakers could only muster 90 points.
The Lakers took lesser 3-point shots in this game than their usual average but hit only 26.7% of their long-range bombs. Several of their misses resulted in long rebounds which fueled the Nuggets' fastbreak machine.
Per ESPN Stats & Info:
“The Lakers are shooting 33-for-148 on 3s this season. That 22.3% 3-pt FG pct is the worst over any 4-game span by any team within a season in NBA history (min. 125 3-pt FGA).”
The Lakers are shooting 33-for-148 on 3s this season. That 22.3% 3-pt FG pct is the worst over any 4-game span by any team within a season in NBA history (min. 125 3-pt FGA). twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/…
The LA Lakers defense deserved credit for keeping them close in the first half. But if their defense takes the night off, as it did in the second half on Wednesday night, their shooting will not save them.