Lakers' Embarrassing Defensive Possession Sums Up Blowout Loss to Heat

Not an ounce of effort in sight.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat / Screenshot via LakeShow Highlights on X

JJ Redick will not be happy with his team after Wednesday night's game.

The Los Angeles Lakers were blown out by the Miami Heat on Wednesday, and they didn't seem to have much fight in them throughout the game. Defensive effort was at an all-time low as they enabled Tyler Herro to hit nine threes and the Heat to shoot over 58% from the field.

One possession during the third quarter perfectly summed up the lack of energy and effort from the Lakers during the loss. Jimmy Butler possessed the ball and nonchalantly dribbled to the wing. No one came to guard him, and he delivered a pass beneath the rim to Duncan Robinson. Despite four L.A. defenders being nearby, Robinson had all the time in the world to make a play. He chose against taking an uncontested layup and instead dished the ball out to Bam Adebayo on the perimeter, who swung a quick pass to Tyler Herro for a wide-open three.

Throughout all of that, Lakers defenders barely moved a muscle. No one even attempted to put a hand in Robinson's face under the rim and the closeout on Herro's three from D'Angelo Russell was way late.

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— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 5, 2024

Basketball coaches should showcase this clip to their team as Exhibit A of how not to play team defense. The Lakers' lack of effort showed up on the scoreboard. At that point in the game they were trailing by 22, 74–56, and things didn't get better from there.

Los Angeles went on to lose by 41, surrendering a season-high 134 points to the scalding Heat. A truly dismal performance for a team that's now lost six of its last eight games.

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