Lakers say they’re not sweating early adversity

The Lakers got unneurotic Saturday and talked astir it.

No, not astir Friday night’s kerfuffle betwixt teammates connected the bench. Not astir Rajon Rondo’s run-in with a fan, with whom helium exchanged words and past had escorted retired of the building.

Nah, they discussed breakdowns successful coverages and details connected defense. Basketball worldly that they anticipation volition assistance them bounce backmost from Friday’s 115-105 nonaccomplishment to Phoenix, successful which the Lakers trailed by arsenic galore arsenic 32 points.

“Not astatine all. Nope. It’s not talked about,” Lakers defender Russell Westbrook said of the second-quarter shove delivered by Anthony Davis during his disagreement with Dwight Howard.

“It’s implicit with. Move onto the adjacent game.”

Rondo began his media availability by getting questions astir his brushwood with the instrumentality retired of the mode first; helium denied that his motion erstwhile helium pointed astatine the antheral successful the courtside spot was meant to mimic a gun, though it was wide interpreted that way.

“There was an speech of words and I conscionable wanted to get the feline retired of the game,” said Rondo, who said the concern was an isolated incidental and that helium felt protected.

“It doesn’t truly substance what I said, helium didn’t endanger maine and I didn’t endanger him, determination was an speech of words and got him retired of the game.

“I was pointing astatine the guy.”

Full video of a instrumentality getting ejected aft slapping Rondo's fingers retired of his face. pic.twitter.com/4BLs8t4oHS

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 23, 2021

Rondo besides discussed Saturday’s movie session, the longest truthful acold this young season, and “rightfully so,” helium said, considering the Lakers are 0-2, with the Memphis Grizzlies awaiting Sunday evening.

“I emotion these benignant of days, wherever we travel and get better, watching movie and learning each other,” the seasoned constituent defender added, describing the video league arsenic a afloat participatory process.

“If (Coach) Frank (Vogel’s) the lone 1 successful the country talking, helium says there’s thing wrong,” Rondo said. “So a batch of radical are talking, coaches to the players, we spell backmost and forth. Not needfully arguing oregon chattering but to recognize 1 different due to the fact that unfastened dialog is champion for america to make captious chemistry connected the court.”

In the aboriginal going, that budding chemistry appeared strained during the brushwood betwixt the Lakers’ large men successful the 2nd quarter.

Rondo was determination successful the mediate of the exchange; helium seemed to propulsion Howard distant from Davis, into a spot connected the team’s bench.

Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard got into it and had to beryllium separated by their Lakers teammates 😳pic.twitter.com/fyfxBtf0oO

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 23, 2021

“It tin happen, you know, (stuff) happens each the time,” Rondo said Saturday. “But nevertheless, those 2 guys, I wouldn’t accidental they’re champion friends, but they get on precise well. Dwight’s my champion person immoderate days, AD’s my champion person immoderate days. Other than that, 2 guys going astatine it, 2 guys wanting to compete.

“Frustrations hap connected the court, evidently they gotta power things better, but astatine the aforesaid time, erstwhile you suffer things are much magnified, and the Lakers – it seems crazy, but astatine the aforesaid time, I deliberation we’re successful a large place, wherever we request to beryllium arsenic acold arsenic continuing to get better.

“We’ve had immoderate humble pastry the past mates games and recognize that we’re gonna instrumentality each one’s champion shot. And played against 2 truly bully tams, 2 truly well-coached teams, that were prepared to play us, and they did their crippled program amended than us.”

Westbrook concurred. The Lakers, helium said, volition beryllium good erstwhile they fig it retired – which is what they spent Saturday moving toward.

“I’m OK with adversity,” said Westbrook, who changeable 10 for 27 (35.7%) successful his archetypal 2 games, and 0 for 7 from 3-point range. “I ne'er panic passim a season, particularly the commencement of the play – there’s nary request to.

“The season’s excessively agelong and … yes, it’s bully to get disconnected to a bully commencement and consciousness bully astir yourself, but especially, maine personally, I similar to marque definite that I’m arsenic a the play goes on, I’m perpetually conscionable getting amended and amended and amended arsenic the play prolongs, and making definite that my squad and my teammates are getting amended arsenic well.”