After a long time the Lakers climbed into the play-in zone. Los Angeles defeated Memphis (112-103) at home and with 32 wins and 34 losses is currently ninth in the Western Conference.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talked about his team’s path from being 2-10 at the start of the season to where it is right now.
“It’s what we anticipated if we ever decided to again be competitive, be together and be accountable,” he said postgame. “Obviously, we’ve gone through injuries, roster changes and now our group is in such a great place mentally, spiritually, physically and you’re seeing it. Things go wrong in a game, guys just still competing, fighting, moving on to the next play.
“So we go from being 2 and 10 fighting and climbing, all the ups and downs, the highs, the lows, I think it made us, being a Michigan guy, it’s building us to be fort tough. It’s nothing that can be thrown at us that we haven’t seen before.
“The guys are relishing in these moments, these high intensity games making big plays. Got big time players, young guys trying to establish themselves being clutch. AD re-establishing himself, playing pain-free, being in good rhythm and putting the team on his back on both sides of the ball. It’s been great. We’re taking it one day at a time.”
