Lakers shooting woes continue in loss to Clippers, dropping second straight game to start season

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are 0-2 to start the season and one thing is becoming abundantly clear – the Lakers cannot shoot. 

In a 103-97 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday night, the Lakers shot just 35.1% from the field, only making nine of 45 attempts from beyond the three-point line. 

On top of a 10-40 shooting night from three against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers are now 19-85 from deep this season. 

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“If we’re reliant on [sufficient outside shooting] every single game, then we’re in trouble,” James said Thursday night, according to ESPN. “So I’m not worried about that or thinking about that. It’s how hard we play, how aggressive we play, how determined we are to go out and compete every night. And we got to defend. When we defend, we’re going to give ourselves a good chance to win.”

Lakers guard Russell Westbrook mightily struggled from the floor against the Clippers, missing all 11 shots he took while scoring just two points in 27 minutes. 

“Solid, played hard, all you can ask for,” Westbrook said after the game, according to the LA Times. “Go on to the next one.”

It’s a rough start to the season for the Lakers, who are looking to bounce back after a year that saw them go from the favorites to win the Western Conference to out of the playoffs. 

Following LA’s loss to Golden State on opening night, James shared a harsh truth. 

“To be completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting,” James said after the loss. “That’s just the truth of the matter. It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team.”

James also struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 2-8 from the three-point line. James finished the night with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. 

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report