“They look forward to kicking our behinds & the sooner we realize that, the better” – LA Lakers coach believes losing a home game is inexcusable

The supposedly tanking Utah Jazz ran roughshod over the LA Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Utah’s shooting, movement and couldn't-care-less attitude shredded the home team’s vaunted defense to pieces.

After the game, Darvin Ham couldn’t hide his disappointment in the Lakers’ worst defensive showing of the season. Here’s what he had to say about the loss:

“If you decide to step out there, you better come ready to compete. We gotta compete at a much, much better, higher level, irregardless cause no one’s gonna feel sorry for us, especially being a Laker.

"People come to play in this building, under these lights, they look forward to kicking our behinds and the sooner we realize that, the better. There’s no excuses. Once you strap and lace them up, there’s no excuses.”

The LA Lakers coach refused to consider the injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis as excuses. Before the game, both were listed as questionable as James suffered left foot soreness while AD had back tightness.

“King James,” on several occasions during the game, could be seen grimacing in pain and at one point even held his sore left foot. He hasn’t missed any games this season but hasn’t been playing to his usual standards, which is likely due to injury.

James was scoreless in the first quarter, but finished with 17 points and led the LA Lakers in rebounding with 10 and assists with eight. He was miserable from the field, however, hitting only 7 for 19 shots and missing all five of his 3-point attempts.

Anthony Davis has already missed one game with the LA Lakers and has been dealing with back tightness even during the preseason. He played solid but lacked aggressiveness and rim protection. LA gave up 15 offensive rebounds, which was partly due to Davis.

If both continue to be compromised, whether Ham admits it or not, the Lakers’ struggles could go on.

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Darvin Ham bemoaned the LA Lakers’ lack of defensive intensity and aggression

The LA Lakers' usually stout defense was absent against the Utah Jazz.

Before the game, the LA Lakers were ranked second in defensive rating. They had a miserable 2-5 record, but that was due to their inept offense. In the loss to the Utah Jazz, the Lakers flipped their offensive and defensive tendencies.

The Lakers gave up 40, 35 and 30 in three quarters, which was the story of the game. LA, the worst offensive team in the league, shot 48.2% from the field and an incredible 42.3% from beyond the arc. They still lost big to the scrappy Jazz.

Here’s what Darvin Ham had to say about the LA Lakers’ defense:

“We took a huge step backwards tonight, giving up 75 points in the first half, giving them at least three 30-point quarters. We can’t play like that.

“We have 60,000 points in our locker room. I’m not worried about our offense. We gotta defend. We scored enough points tonight to win the game. Our defense was inept at best.”

The Lakers will likely not be able to sustain this kind of offensive outburst. They need their defense to keep them in games and hopefully win them some too. If their defense continues to be as terrible as it was against the Utah Jazz, their season could end before the playoffs.