Some may have expected to see a different Los Angeles Lakers team to begin 2024, especially with the New Year starting off with a five-game homestand. But that was not the case on Wednesday against the Miami Heat.
L.A. put up a lackluster performance, which was extremely disappointing considering they were coming off two days of rest and players were excited to play at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers over the ball 10 times in the first quarter, finishing the game with 22 and shooting 4-for-30 from 3-point land, a miserable 13.3%.
Ultimately, the Lakers would lose 110-96 to the Heat in an overall ugly game from both teams. Shooting has been a weakness all season long for L.A., but Max Christie knows teammates are putting in the work and it’s about simply knocking them down and next-shot mentality.
“I think us as players, we’re the ones taking the shots, and we’re the ones that have to knock them down. So for us, it’s really just next-shot mentality. Everybody is in the gym working on their 3s, so we’re doing everything that we can to shoot the ball,” Christie said.
“We’ve got good shooters on the team. TP, me, AR, Bron is shooting it well from 3 this year. So we’ve got guys that can shoot, we’ve just got to knock them down. We’re holding ourselves accountable.”
Now back under .500 at 17-18, it is easy for things to start unraveling for the Lakers. But Christie stressed the importance of sticking together through the tough times and believing in the talent that is on the roster.
“I mean, we just got to band together and stay together,” he said. “We’re 3-9 in our last in our last 12. At this point, we have enough talent. If you look on paper, we’re a really, really good team. We just got to stick together and look at the film tomorrow and find ways to improve on what we didn’t do well. Find more nooks and crannies to help us win more games. At the end of the day, we’ve got to take advantage of this home stretch that we have here for most of the month.”
Due to the injuries of Gabe Vincent and D’Angelo Russell, Christie saw 28 minutes of action against Miami, scoring 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field and 2-for-9 from deep. While shots from distance did not fall, Christie relayed the coaching staff has told him to be aggressive and he will continue to take shots when they present themselves.
“They’ve always told me to be more aggressive, and I think the past few games I’ve been telling myself to be as aggressive as possible. I believe in my 3-point shot,” he said. “I know I put a lot of work in it. Shot 2-for-9 tonight, but shots go in, and some don’t, right?
“I’m going to take the 3s when I’m open. I’m going to be aggressive with it. I think in the past I’ve played a little thinking a lot and playing a little timid, so now I’m just trying to break out of that, and for me, that’s just being aggressive.”
The Lakers have a lot of work to do if they expect to win a championship. Offense and defense have been up and down all season long and something has to give at some point.
While Christie believes in the team and his ability to shoot the 3, results need to show sooner rather than later to get out of their losing ways.
Anthony Davis: Lakers can’t make excuses for recent struggles
While it is easy to point at injuries and poor shooting, the Lakers need to start winning now, especially in a tight Western Conference. Anthony Davis will not make ‘excuses’ for the team’s struggles, emphasizing that they need to do whatever it takes to win.
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