LeBron James Calls Out Lakers: 'We Just Suck Right Now' amid 4-Game Losing Streak

After not talking to the media earlier this week after a loss to the Miami Heat, LeBron James had a lot to say about the Los Angeles Lakers following their fourth straight loss on Friday night.

"I mean, we just suck right now," James said after a 127-113 defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies.

There was a lot of optimism around the Lakers after their victory over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship Game. They won four straight at that point, even though the title game didn't count toward the official standings.

The Lakers entered their Dec. 12 game against the Dallas Mavericks with a 14-9 record and climbed as high as No. 4 in the Western Conference standings.

Since that time, though, the Lakers have lost 10 of 13 and fallen two games under .500. They are currently out of the playoff mix with the 11th-best record in the West.

James pushed back on the notion that the in-season tournament meant anything in the big picture of the regular season.

"That was just two games," he said. "It's a small sample. Everyone is getting so cracked up about Vegas and keep bringing up Vegas. It was two games. We took care of that business. It was the in-season tournament, we played it, we won it. But that was literally just two games."

Their main issue all season has been scoring. They entered Friday ranked 19th in points per game and 24th in offensive rating. Head coach Darvin Ham has been tinkering with the lineup in recent weeks, shifting D'Angelo Russell to the bench in favor of Jarred Vanderbilt.

When the Vanderbilt experiment didn't work as hoped, he was replaced in the starting five by Austin Reaves.

James is starting to show some cracks in his game with 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting in Wednesday's loss to the Heat. He played better against the Grizzlies with 32 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals, but struggled in the fourth quarter by going 2-of-6 from the free-throw line and committing three turnovers.

The Lakers were outscored by Memphis 33-19 in the final quarter. Things won't get easier for them as they look to end this losing streak on Sunday against a Los Angeles Clippers team that has won 13 of their last 15 games.