Lakers player grades: L.A. puts up embarrassing effort in loss to Grizzlies
The Los Angeles Lakers turned in an embarrassing performance against the Memphis Grizzlies, losing 108-95.
After a solid first quarter where Talen Horton-Tucker, LeBron James and Anthony Davis threw down back-to-back-to-back dunks, the Lakers gradually unraveled as the game progressed.
The Lakers turned the ball over nine times in the second quarter alone; L.A. had 22 on the night compared to just 11 for Memphis.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Lakers trailed by 16 points. James seemed to be the only one giving effort. He made nice passes to Davis for easy baskets near the rim that trimmed the deficit, but the intensity on defense never came through.
Here is how the Lakers, now 13-13 on the season, graded individually:
Russell Westbrook was invisible tonight. Whether being guarded by Jarrett Culver snapped him out of his rhythm, Westbrook’s notable plays were two wing triples. He finished with nine points, seven assists, six rebounds and six turnovers. His playmaking from the low block couldn’t get it done, and he didn’t attack downhill as often.
Avery Bradley tends to either have an OK game or an unnoteworthy one, but he wasn’t completely at fault for L.A.’s struggles tonight. He did his job by making 4-of-5 shots overall, including hitting two corner triples to go 2-of-2. He added two steals and a block, and though he wasn’t exactly perfect, no fingers should point his direction.
Moments like him shooting on a pick-and-roll with James when James had an open roll lane to the basket — which James evidently looked confused by — hurt his grade.
Talen Horton-Tucker: C-minus
Horton-Tucker literally hit his season averages of 10 points, five assists and two rebounds. He shot 5-of-10 tonight and didn’t force any triples. His scoring came by attacking the basket, but he didn’t have a noteworthy defensive outing.
LeBron James: B-plus
James didn’t have his long-range shot going tonight (1-of-6), but he notched triple-double No. 100 on the night. He finished with 20 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks and made all five free-throw attempts. When he turned it on, the Grizzlies had a difficult time slowing him down. Unfortunately, even though James collected 11 dimes, his teammates didn’t show up enough.
Anthony Davis: D
Anthony Davis’ stats on the night look solid: 22 points (team-high), eight rebounds, one steal, one block, 9-of-18 shooting overall. But he hasn’t been the AD the Lakers need to contend for a championship. As Charles Barkley said, Davis needs to play like a top-five talent. He’s capable of it; he just doesn’t have it for whatever reason.
Malik Monk: C-plus
Malik Monk hit 2-of-5 from beyond the arc for his only points of the game, but he gets a passing grade on the night for the effort he showed. He added four rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block. He contested for rebounds against taller players and tried to penetrate and increase the pace more than others. He didn’t scorch Memphis from the field, but he passes.
Carmelo Anthony had a quiet night. He couldn’t defend Jaren Jackson Jr. at the 4, which is a terrible situation to put the veteran forward in anyway, and he logged only seven points (2-of-5 FG, 1-of-3 3P). Anthony also turned it over three times after constantly failing to secure the ball on several possessions.
Wayne Ellington knocked down 2-of-5 shots from downtown. A 40% clip is imperative for the Lakers, but he often looked indecisive with his shot and passed out of solid looks. Some led to turnovers, and ball-watching on defense hurt his grade.
Dwight Howard: N/A
Dwight Howard played 10 minutes, so he won’t get a full grade because of the context. He started the second half and immediately converted an open dunk. He also made a 3-pointer late in the game, but he didn’t play enough meaningful minutes to earn a justified grade.
Desmond Bane also made a great play stripping Howard when he went up for an open shot near the rim. Bane swooped in and took advantage of Howard’s poor hands.
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