The Lakers failed to take advantage of the absence of Ja Morant in Game 2 of the first round series against the Grizzlies as they lost the game 93-109.
James Worthy, who won three NBA championships as a Laker, thinks that the Purple and Gold relaxed after winning Game 1 and did not match the energy by Memphis.
“From the very beginning it didn’t seem like they were mentally into this game,” Worthy said on Spectrum SportsNet. “When you go into an arena and you win the first of two, subconsciously sometimes you think you’ve achieved what you came to do.
“That’s how they came out tonight. Lackadaisical, no energy, they did not match Memphis’ energy from the beginning. Tons of layups inside from Memphis.
“I really didn’t think AD was aggressive enough and trying to make himself known in the paint. And this guy [Xavier] Tillman who normally would just be a role player comes in and has a career high, that’s when you know that something’s not right when X-factor type guys come in and dominate.
“They just did not play smart, they didn’t meet Memphis’ force and it was just unfortunate. They had a grand opportunity to take advantage of mismatches inside and didn’t happen.”
