After a disappointing three-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to Staples Center where they hosted the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite inserting Ed Davis and Ronnie Price to the starting lineup in place of Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin, the Lakers lost 104-87 and suffered their 16th loss of the season.
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Following the loss, Kobe Bryant talked about the Lakers 21 games into the season and made a reference to the Titanic according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Kobe: "If this was the Titanic, I'd go down with that sh*t, I'm not jumping off."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 8, 2014
While this has to be one of the most difficult seasons for Kobe in his career, the-five time champion has been very patient with his fairly young teammates and understands that this particular season is going to be a process. Since the start of training camp, Kobe has been doing a lot of teaching and has remained optimistic.
For Kobe, the shooting guard is trying to find a balance between being a scorer and a facilitator for the Lakers. Coming off two season-ending injuries, Kobe has exceeded his own expectations to a certain extent and is averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 35.6 minutes through 20 games.
With the Lakers 5-16 record, head coach Byron Scott will continue sticking with the starting lineup that features Ed Davis and Ronnie Price for the next 10-15 games. While Scott said following the game that Jeremy Lin was “OK” and Carlos Boozer was unhappy with the move to the bench, both players will have to adjust to their new roles as the team seeks more wins.
[divide]Lakers Vs. Pelicans: Team Reacts To Starting Lineup Changes