Lakers' Morris: Jazz 'beat our ass,' but playoffs are different story
It'll be difficult for the Los Angeles Lakers to overlook the Utah Jazz after suffering a disheartening 114-89 beatdown on Wednesday against the team with the NBA's top record. Utah is now 26-6 (.813) and 3.5 games up on the Western Conference's second-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.
But even in defeat, the Lakers aren't panicking about a loss in February with over half of the season still to play.
"We see the Jazz, we know they beat our ass tonight," forward Markieff Morris said postgame, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "But in the playoffs, it's a different story."
If this were the postseason, the players would now be shoring up their offseason vacation plans - the team's loss to Utah was its fourth straight defeat, marking Los Angeles' worst losing streak of the year. The reigning champs have gone just 1-4 while All-Star power forward Anthony Davis has been sidelined with a calf strain since Feb. 14.
"It's not supposed to click right away," Morris said of the squad's recent struggles. "It's supposed to take time. It's supposed to challenge us. It's supposed to feel like our back is against the wall.
"And everybody needs that. It will bring out your true self when you got to fight when your back is against the wall when you lose a couple games."