Austin Reaves Says He's Played 'S--tty the Last 3 Games,' Talks Lakers Struggles

Austin Reaves took responsibility Wednesday for the Los Angeles Lakers' defensive struggles during their ongoing three-game losing streak.

"It starts with me. I've been s---ty the last three games," Reaves said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I've got to be better."

The Lakers have not held an opponent to fewer than 100 points in a game since Dec. 21, and most recently dropped a 126-102 decision to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.

The Spurs entered the game on a three-game losing streak of their own and trailed by nine points at the end of the half.

But the visitors were able to take advantage of the Lakers' defensive lapses on their way to outscoring J.J. Redick's team 73-40 in the second half.

The Lakers were overall outscored 66-40 in the paint during the loss, continuing a concerning trend that has plagued the Los Angeles defense throughout the season.

Despite the relatively frequent availability of Anthony Davis, the Lakers' paint defense ranks 28th in the league through the first 37 games of the season.

That's a steep drop-off from the protection at the rim the Lakers were enjoying during the 2019-20 season, when the team ranked eighth in the category on their way to winning the title.

"When we do one to five, AD wants to be on the top," Hachimura said when asked about the Lakers' defense after the game (h/t Lakers Nation's Daniel Starkand.) "So, we didn't really have a low man or anybody protecting the rim. So, yeah, it was tough for us. We have to be more physical, and everybody has to have a mentality of protecting the rim."

Redick meanwhile said he felt during the game "like there's no one in the paint for us."

"That's what I saw in real time, and obviously I have to look at the tape, but everything was at the rim," Redick said.

The Los Angeles defense will look to get back on track with more effective rim protection against Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo when the Miami Heat visits for a Wednesday night game in Los Angeles.