Frank Vogel Says Lakers Have ‘Too Much Casualness’

The Lakers coach thinks the team's eye isn't on the ball.

The Lakers coach thinks the team’s eye isn’t on the ball.

Last night saw a close game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies that ultimately ended 108-95 in the Grizzlies’ favor. The Lakers didn’t roll over and let the Grizzlies win, with star player LeBron James turning in an exemplary performance with 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Even so, the team couldn’t quite put it together, and according to their coach, it’s because they’re not focused enough.

“The second quarter was where the energy of the game shifted,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said after the game. “Our turnovers went way up. We didn’t rebound the basketball. We were slow to every loose ball.” He summed up his opinion by saying the Lakers had “too much casualness to our approach.”

“Defensively, I thought we were really good. We just turned the ball over,” James said, echoing Vogel’s sentiments. “When you hold a team to 108 points and 27 of those came off turnovers, the defense was really good. Offensively, we were not good at all.”

“I thought our activity was fantastic defensively,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “I thought the Lakers came out and kind of imposed their will in the first quarter, but we just kept making those winning plays throughout.”