LeBron James Says 'Tonight, I Was S--t' in Lakers' Game 5 Loss vs. Grizzlies

The Los Angeles Lakers had the opportunity to close out their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

They blew it.

The Grizzlies defeated the Lakers 116-99 in Game 5 on their home floor to force a Game 6 back in Los Angeles, and LeBron James acknowledged after the loss that he needs to be better moving forward.

"Tonight, I was s--t," James said. "And I'll be better in Game 6."

While Anthony Davis had a solid performance, finishing with 31 points, 19 rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks, James needed to be much better in the close-out opportunity.

The four-time NBA champion finished Wednesday's game with 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.

That said, the loss isn't all on him, as D'Angelo Russell finished with just 11 points, four rebounds, 10 assists and one steal. He hasn't been the best throughout this series, and the Purple and Gold need him to be better.

Additionally, the L.A. defense was like swiss cheese against Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, allowing the duo to combine for a whopping 64 points.

The series will now shift back to Crypto.com Arena, and Lakers head coach Darvin Ham told reporters after Wednesday's loss that there's "no pressure" on his team heading into that matchup.

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

If James, Davis and the supporting cast play to expectations, the Lakers should be able to close out the series in Game 6 on Friday. If there's a Game 7, that will be played Sunday in Memphis.