Darvin Ham Says Lakers Have 'No Pressure' Heading into Game 6 vs. Grizzlies

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 116-99 in Game 5 of their first-round series Wednesday, blowing the opportunity to close things out and clinch a berth in the Western Conference semifinals.

With a 3-2 series lead, the Lakers will still have the opportunity to win the series in Game 6, and head coach Darvin Ham told reporters after Wednesday's loss that there's "no pressure" on the team for that matchup.

"We were told we won't be here in the first place," Ham said. "So it's no pressure. Just basketball."

Ham is probably right in saying that the Lakers don't have too much pressure on their shoulders heading into Game 6. The Purple and Gold are heading back to their home court, which should be a boost as they aim to close out the series.

While the Lakers were roughed up by the Grizzlies on Wednesday night, there are also some positives they can take from the game, such as Anthony Davis' 31-point night and Austin Reaves' 17-point performance.

That said, LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell need to be much better moving forward if the Lakers hope to move on. James acknowledged his poor performance while meeting with reporters after the loss, saying he played like "s--t."

James finished Wednesday's game with just 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Russell finished with 11 points, four rebounds, 10 assists and one steal.

L.A. also needs to be much better on defense moving forward after allowing Ja Morant and Desmond Bane to combine for 64 points Wednesday night.

This is still a winnable series for the Lakers, who nearly missed the playoffs in the first place after a subpar regular season.

If the Purple and Gold do move on, they'll face either the Golden State Warriors or Sacramento Kings in the next round, and either of those teams will prove to be a more difficult opponent than the Grizzlies.