The answer was quite predictable: “Okay.”
The question that prompted the answer above from Austin Reeves: How did he feel physically?
Reeves doesn't make excuses, and he wasn't going to start now, after loss with a score of 132-119 San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.
Except Reeves didn’t look “good” after the loss.
He finished with a modest 15 points, only four of which came in the first half.
The disappointing result followed an 11-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers three days earlier.
“The ball just didn’t go in the basket,” Reeves said.
Or was it something more?
Was the offensive burden he had shouldered up to this point beginning to take its toll on him?
If former undrafted free agent really took his game to the next level or was he just on a six week break?
The answers will be revealed in the coming weeks.
LakersHowever, it is already known that they cannot win if Reeves plays the way he did against the Spurs, when he made only two of six shots in the first half.
Reeves needs to score for this version of the Lakers to beat a team like the Spurs. He has to score because they can't stop anyone.
Their perimeter defense on the ball is terrible.
Their three-point defense is terrible.
Their transition defense is shocking.
“Very few teams don’t have something to break, and we run into the same things all the time,” coach JJ Redick said.
Bill Parcells once said that you are what your record says you are, but that may not be true with the Lakers, who are 17-7.
Over the last six games, Lakers opponents have made 49% of their shots, including 45% of their three-point attempts. Redick's team averaged 122 points per game.
“The thing that helps you win by margins is something we're not very good at right now,” Redick said.
The defense against the Spurs was particularly abysmal, with the visitors making 50% of their three-point attempts in the first two periods to lead 70–58 at halftime, with their franchise player Victor Vembanyama sidelined with a calf injury.
The Spurs' athleticism was clearly a concern for the Lakers, who lack speed on the perimeter.
“They just went down the mountain, drove and [kicking]”, Lakers guard Luka Doncic said. “They made about 10 3-pointers in the first half. They came up really quickly.”
Spurs guard Stephon Castle finished with 30 points. He was one of seven players to score in double figures. The Lakers trailed by as many as 24 points.
“Obviously this is a unique team,” Lakers forward LeBron James said. “They have six or seven guys that can take you off the dribble. Super fast, super fast.”
By contrast, the Lakers have slow guards Doncic and Reaves, 40-year-old James and inconsistent center Deandre Ayton.
Last season, the Lakers were eliminated in the playoffs by a more physically gifted Minnesota Timberwolves team, and this time again they look unable to overcome that disadvantage.
Asked what they can do to improve their deficiencies on defense, James replied: “I mean, obviously you can't do it individually by yourself. It's got to be five guys together, communication is always at an all-time high, letting you know what's going on behind you and things like that.”
Redick shared a similar view, but sounded as if the process could take time. Meanwhile, he said he expects Reeves to bounce back from his two-game slump.
Even after the Spurs game, Reeves ranked ninth in the NBA in scoring with 27.8 points per game.
“Yeah, look, the reality is this guy carried us around for six weeks and it takes a toll on you,” Redick said. “He kept fighting and I appreciate that. But he's going to have a lot more good nights than disappointing nights.”
He's better. The more frustrating nights for Reaves, the more frustrating nights for the Lakers.
