The Los Angeles Lakers hit another rough patch Thursday night, falling hard to the Charlotte Hornets in a lopsided loss at home. It wasn’t just the score that stung-it was the way it unfolded.
Once again, the Lakers struggled to keep pace with a younger, more athletic, and more physical opponent. And this isn’t a one-off.
This has become a trend that’s tough to ignore.
Charlotte brought the kind of physicality that’s been giving L.A. fits all season long. Instead of matching that intensity, the Lakers found themselves more focused on the officiating than the opponent.
Missed calls? Sure, there were a few.
But instead of getting back in transition, several Lakers were caught jawing with the refs-something veteran guard Marcus Smart says has to stop.
“It definitely doesn’t help,” Smart said postgame. “You think you got fouled or a call that should’ve been called, and instead of getting back, we’re talking to the officials. That definitely doesn’t help.”
Smart didn’t sugarcoat it. While he acknowledged the frustration, he emphasized that it’s not the reason they’re losing.
The Lakers are still getting to the free throw line at a decent clip. But in today’s NBA, especially with officiating trending toward letting more contact go, teams have to adjust on the fly.
And right now, the Lakers aren’t doing that.
“We have to be able to adapt to it and understand that we’re just not getting [calls],” Smart added. “That’s OK. We got to play on and move to the next round.”
Smart’s comments weren’t just about dealing with no-calls-they were a call to action. He wants the Lakers to bring the fight, not wait for the whistle. In fact, he took it a step further, suggesting that if officials are letting physical play go, then the Lakers need to lean into that style themselves.
“We just got to start fouling,” he said. “They can’t call them all.
The toughest team sets the rules. So we just got to come out and be aggressive whether they call it or not.
We can’t change how we play because of it.”
That’s classic Marcus Smart-gritty, unapologetic, and focused on setting a tone. He’s made a career out of walking that fine line between physical and foul, and right now, the Lakers could use more of that edge.
The problem? Outside of Smart, this roster doesn’t have many players built for that kind of game.
And when the refs let teams play-as they did Thursday-L.A. struggles to adapt. That lack of physical presence is becoming a real issue, especially against teams like Charlotte that thrive on downhill attacks and high-energy defense.
There’s also the emotional aspect. Players like LeBron James and Luka Dončić-both known for working the officials-can sometimes get caught up in the frustration.
But in games like this, that focus shift can be costly. Smart’s comments weren’t just about effort-they were about accountability.
On the defensive side, head coach JJ Redick didn’t hold back in breaking down what went wrong. The Lakers gave up 135 points, and Redick pointed to a mix of poor positioning, missed rotations, and a general hesitancy guarding the ball.
“I saw the same thing everybody else saw,” Redick said. “They made some ridiculous shots.
You’re gonna have certain breakdowns in your defense, and that third quarter could’ve been really deflating for our team-and it wasn’t. We kept fighting and played some really good basketball.”
Still, Redick acknowledged that against teams with elite drivers and shooters-like Charlotte-the Lakers tend to get cautious. That hesitation leads to breakdowns, and once they get beat off the dribble, it’s scramble mode. Too often, L.A.’s low-man help was late or ineffective, and shooters were left with too much room.
“We’re scared of the drive,” Redick said. “And then we’re just too far off from the body.”
Charlotte’s offense has been on a tear lately-they dropped 150 on Utah and blew out OKC in Oklahoma City. So this wasn’t a fluke.
But Redick made it clear the Hornets had the Lakers’ full attention going in. The issue wasn’t preparation-it was execution.
And when a team’s low-man help is off and perimeter defenders are sagging too far, even average shooting teams can look elite.
Bottom line: the Lakers are at a crossroads. They’ve got the star power, they’ve got the experience, and they’ve got a head coach who sees the issues clearly. But until they start matching the physicality of younger, hungrier teams-and stop letting missed calls dictate their effort-they’ll keep running into nights like this.
The NBA isn’t waiting for them to figure it out. And neither are teams like Charlotte.