Austin Reaves Says Lakers Are in 'S--tty' Mood amid Struggles: 'We Got to Win Games'

The Los Angeles Lakers may have won the inaugural in-season tournament, but the Purple and Gold dropped to 17-18 on the season with their third straight loss on Wednesday night, and it appears the vibes in the locker room are not great amid the team's latest skid.

Speaking to reporters after Wednesday's 110-96 loss to the Miami Heat, Lakers star Austin Reaves said the team's mood was "s--tty."

"We're losing," Reaves said. "Anytime you lose, the vibe should be off, you know? If I went in [the locker room] and the vibe wasn't off after the rough stretch that we've had, then I'd be concerned. That's really it. You know, I don't expect for us to be happy with how we've played. So, until we figure that out, you know, the vibe should be off. We got to win games."

The Lakers were heavily outplayed by a Jimmy Butler-less Heat squad that boasted a starting lineup that included Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jović and Jamie Jaquez Jr.

Herro led the team with 21 points and eight different players finished with double digits in scoring.

As for the Lakers, Reaves notched 24 points and Anthony Davis put up 29 points, but LeBron James finished with just 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting and Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince, who both started and played at least 19 minutes each, finished without a bucket.

"It's a little bit of everything right now," Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said of the team's struggles following the loss. "We're not executing. That team played harder than us tonight, executed better than us tonight, more physical than us tonight. We got outworked tonight, so it's a bit of everything right now.

"If we keep on this train, it's not going to be good for us."

The Lakers are now 2-8 in their last 10 games and have fallen to 10th in the Western Conference, eight games back of the No. 1 Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Purple and Gold appear to be scouring the trade market amid the team's struggles as the franchise looks for upgrades to place alongside James, Davis and Reaves.

L.A. has been linked to Chicago Bulls veteran Zach LaVine, Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray and even Bulls guard Alex Caruso this winter.

With the trade deadline coming up on Feb. 8, it's going to be interesting to see if the Lakers can right the ship before any additions are made.