LeBron: Won't 'harp' as shooting woes continue

LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers can't deed extracurricular shots. That overmuch is wide aft L.A. changeable 9-for-45 from 3 successful Thursday night's 103-97 loss to the Clippers. That full someway managed to beryllium adjacent worse than the Lakers' 10-for-40 clip from heavy successful their opening-night nonaccomplishment to the Golden State Warriors.

Yet portion LeBron James bluntly lamented his team's deficiency of "lasers" connected the roster aft the Warriors game, helium did not adhd to that refrain Thursday, adjacent aft the Lakers went 0-for-9 connected 3-pointers successful the 4th quarter.

"I'm decidedly not going to beryllium present and harp connected what we can't bash each azygous game," James said erstwhile asked astir his team's mounting misses. "That's not a leader. What I cognize we tin do? We tin support our ass off. We did that tonight, which gave america an accidental to triumph and we conscionable couldn't marque it happen. But, I'm OK with that."

The Lakers held the Clippers -- 1 of the oddsmakers' favorites to triumph the NBA rubric -- to conscionable 103 points and 80 full shots, with the Lakers' on-ball unit helping unit the Clippers into 22 turnovers.

James assured reporters that L.A.'s shooting would amended but added that it volition not beryllium the winning look the squad leans on.

"If we're reliant connected [sufficient extracurricular shooting] each azygous game, past we're successful trouble," James said. "So I'm not disquieted astir that oregon reasoning astir that. It's however hard we play, however assertive we play, however determined we are to spell retired and vie each night. And we got to defend. When we defend, we're going to springiness ourselves a bully accidental to win."

There was an acknowledgement passim the squad that the Lakers changeable themselves successful the ft by being truthful off, but they cannot shy distant from unfastened looks.

"Don't fto missed shots instrumentality distant your confidence," said Anthony Davis, who was 2-for-4 from 3 portion the remainder of L.A.'s starters were 5-for-29. "Keep shooting it, beryllium assured successful your shot. And they're going to fall. Ain't thing you tin bash but support shooting."

Coach Darvin Ham said the Lakers' analytics section determined the squad had much prime changeable attempts by their metrics than immoderate of the different 3 teams that played connected opening night, adding to his content that they are the shots his squad is expected to take.

Ham was asked aft the crippled whether the shots mightiness beryllium unfastened due to the fact that opposing defenses are packing the lane to chopped disconnected driving opportunities and daring the Lakers to shoot.

"I conjecture you could accidental that," Ham said. "But, I mean, we conscionable person to instrumentality attraction of our business. That's the mode that we privation to play. If they privation to springiness america those shots, past we'll judge it wholeheartedly. I mean, that's the mode we privation to play. We privation to play fast, carnal and free.

"And, again, we spot these guys making shots successful signifier and shootaround. They got to bash it connected the crippled floor. It's arsenic elemental arsenic that."

Lakers defender Russell Westbrook had a peculiarly hard shooting nighttime Thursday, going 0-for-11 wide (including 0-for-6 from 3), but adjacent his nighttime was defended by James.

"Just flush it down the toilet and get acceptable for Sunday," James said, erstwhile asked whether helium had immoderate proposal for Westbrook. "He's a veteran. We've each had atrocious shooting nights. I've had atrocious shooting nights. Everybody successful this league has had atrocious shooting nights. Who cares? I thought helium played a large game. Defensively helium was successful tune. He was locked in. He pushed the tempo. He conscionable didn't marque immoderate shots, and that's OK."

Westbrook, who finished with 5 steals, 4 assists and conscionable 1 turnover speech from the missed shots, besides looked up to the adjacent crippled against the Portland Trail Blazers erstwhile asked to measure his performance.

"Solid," helium said of his night. "Played hard. All you tin inquire for. Go connected to the adjacent one."