- Report: Lakers looking to upgrade from Patrick Beverley
- Phil Handy seemingly compares Rui Hachimura to Kawhi Leonard: ‘Reminds me of this guy I coached in Toronto’
- Report: Dennis Schroder stopped by police in Hollywood after leaving Lakers game
- Report: Lakers, Clippers, Jazz, Pistons and Hornets interested in Caris LeVert
- Chandler Parsons on LeBron James: ‘If they were winning more, he’s my MVP’
- Report: Lakers update injury statuses for Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker and LeBron James vs. Spurs
- Report: Lakers showing interest in Mike Conley and Eric Gordon
- Report: Pistons would need ‘significant value’ to consider moving Lakers target Bojan Bogdanovic within next 2 weeks
- Russell Westbrook snaps on Lakers reporter after being asked if there was a ‘cross-up’ between him and Dennis Schroder
- Rob Pelinka hints that Lakers could make another trade before deadline
Magic Johnson’s stunned reaction to Lakers’ embarrassing loss to Blazers: ‘No words can describe how I’m feeling’
- Updated: February 9, 2022
On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered one of their worst losses of the season, a 107-105 setback to a weak Portland Trail Blazers squad.
Afterward, Lakers legend Magic Johnson took to Twitter to express his dismay.
After the @Lakers loss to Portland tonight, I'm speechless. No words can describe how I'm feeling.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 10, 2022
Russell Westbrook missed the contest due to a back ailment, and without him, the Lakers looked like they lacked urgency.
LeBron James scored 30 points and had seven assists and seven rebounds, but he also committed six of L.A.’s 21 turnovers.
The Blazers recently traded away two of their best players, C.J. McCollum and Norman Powell, and superstar guard Damian Lillard has been out after having surgery due to an ab injury.
Still, Portland showed far more desire than the Lakers did, as it outrebounded them and held a huge advantage in fast-break points.
A bright spot for L.A. was the play of third-year guard Talen Horton-Tucker, who has failed to show any real improvement after getting a new contract this offseason. He had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
With just hours to go before the NBA’s trading deadline, the pressure is mounting for the Lakers to make a move that would improve their prospects. They are currently in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Many have felt that dealing Westbrook would fix the team’s issues, but Wednesday’s loss seemed to prove that the team’s issues run much deeper than him.