Lack of Defense Is Main Concern

Winning teams play defense, and right now, the Lakers are not playing much of it at all, said several Laker veterans in the wake of their second straight embarrassing loss in Texas.

“Our focus on this team is to play offense. And as a result, we lose every game,” Derek Harper said minutes after the Lakers lost to Houston, 102-80, the seventh time in the last eight games the Lakers have given up 100 points or more.

“We don’t think defense. We think offense. . . . You have to have the will to dig down and play defense every night. And obviously we don’t have that as a basketball team.”

Forward Glen Rice said the Lakers have to stop believing that a turnaround is right around the corner and force themselves to address serious issues.

“We’ve got to start putting away the excuses and stop saying it’ll happen next game,” Rice said. “Look, it’s just not happening. . . . I know we care, but the way we keep playing, it’s not showing any signs of caring.”

And how would Rice summarize the Lakers’ recent long slide into mediocrity? “It’s been a screwed-up experience,” Rice said.

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Kobe Bryant, noticeably favoring his sore left leg, said he couldn’t use that as an excuse for missing his first 11 shots Monday.

“Nah, nah, I was just missing,” Bryant said. “I was throwing up brick after brick. I was building a project there. You just play hard, there’s nothing you can do about it. . . .

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. But I’ve played plenty of games like that.”