LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Lakers season hit a new low on Sunday, with a 123-95 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans, completed overnight by a chorus of crowds from the Crypto.com Arena.
Russell Westbrook, the LA native whom the franchise completely changed his roster to acquire in the offseason, was asked if this type of reception from Lakers fans would be something he would take home with him. , when his team lost for the ninth time in their last 12. Play
"No," he said. "Take it home? For what? S---. Take it home? I have three beautiful kids at home. Why would I take it home? If they boo, they can take their ass home . I don't worry about that. It doesn't bother me any more. ...
"I can only answer if I take them home: No. But as far as our team is concerned, I don't think it's something we have to deal with. And move on."
Right now, the Lakers are trailing 27-33, with 22 games to go after losing to the No. 11 Pelicans as well as securing a spot in the play-in tournament.
And from here the road becomes even more difficult. L.A. This week plays the top three teams in the standings — the Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors — and then has a road-heavy schedule for the rest of March.
"We got a tough stretch in Dallas, with the Clippers again on Thursday, then with Golden State on Saturday," said LeBron James. "And we've still got 10 road games this month or in March, so it's not going to be easy for us."
The Pelicans' loss was particularly discouraging, with Westbrook and James scoring seven turnovers in one night, with the Lakers having 23 as a team, making 25 points for New Orleans.
The Lakers were outscored 44-25 in the third quarter - when boos were first heard from the stands - and were trailing 32 at one point.
"We're not shooting the ball well from the perimeter, and the paint comes off, and we're trying to get in - with the pass, with the bounce - and that's leading to a lot of turnovers." Lakers coach Frank Vogel said his team shot 7-for-34 from 3 (20.6%). "And we're not moving well defensively. So, we weren't very good at either end tonight."
While Westbrook again mentioned the team's championship goal—a concept that seems as remote as Anthony Davis's earlier claim of the season that LA would be ready to run a 10- or 12-game winning streak at any time - James offered a far more meager benchmark to try.
"It all starts with a win. It starts with that," he said of how LA could start to turn things around. "Try to get out of this slide and win, and learn from that win from the things you did well, the things you didn't do so well. So it always starts with that and how you are one." Might try to get into the game-by-game situation."
Asked how to move on from the loss, Vogel said the Lakers should just "flush it" and turn the page, but Westbrook pointed to a discouraging trend that doesn't seem so easy to shake. .
"The teams are coming in, playing harder, and I believe it's like their scouting report: Just play harder than them and see what happens," Westbrook said. "And it's working. Until we determine and make a determination that we're not going to allow this, especially on the floor of our house, it will keep happening to us."
Dwight Howard, who made his second straight start with Davis still sidelined with a leg injury, made an optimistic offer, while acknowledging that the team is still on edge.
"It's so easy to give up, throw in the towel, and say negative things," Howard said. "So, really at a loss for words. But we have to stay positive. We can't grieve over defeat, and we can't give up on each other. I know it's been a very tough season, but no, I think that would be bad."