Lakers Collapse Again in the 3rd Quarter, Lose 127-100 to Suns. Defense is a Mess.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

On the bright side, Saturday against Denver the Lakers were outscored by 22 in the third quarter.

Tuesday in Phoenix, it was only 18.

Once again, the Lakers took a tight game at the half and completely lost the thread in the third, en route to a 127-100 loss that did a lot more than simply ding the team's chances of advancing out of their group in the NBA Cup. LA has now lost three straight, with a very challenging game Wednesday against a San Antonio team that has won four straight and seven of 10. Anyone unwilling to buy into the 10-4 start, or insisted on waiting and seeing, might feel vindicated right now. The Lakers are simply losing the thread for long stretches of time. And while some of that might be chalked up to effort or attitude, the fundamental problem is far simpler:

The Lakers simply can't get stops. When Denver got rolling the Lakers didn't have the capacity to stop the run. When the Suns got rolling the Lakers didn't have the capacity to stop the run. It was noted on the show earlier this week that the team's standing in the Western Conference was simply not sustainable if the Lakers stayed near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency. They came into the game 27th. Tuesday's result only made things worse.

And let's be honest - there just aren't that many levers available to turn the current roster into something better on that side of the floor. And while the Lakers are still a very good offensive team, no team is good enough on that end to overcome such miserable defense.

Oh, and Jaxson Hayes limped off the floor late in the fourth.

All in all, a terrible Tuesday for sure.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get thumped in the fourth quarter, again.

SEGMENT 2: No rest for the weary, as the Lakers play in San Antonio tonight.

SEGMENT 3: Is there anything the Lakers can do to fix the defense?

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