Lakers seek answers with loss to NBA-worst Suns

The defense, which ranks 24th in points per game allowed, let the Suns shoot 65 percent from the field in the first quarter, setting up the rhythm to go out and score 118 -- more than the already massive 113.9 points per game Los Angeles usually gives up.The Lakers' 3-point shooting, tied with the New York Knicks for 27th in the league with a 33.8 percent team mark, was even worse as they shot 8-for-25 (32 percent), and their free throw shooting, last in the league with a 69.0 percent team average, was also an abomination as the Lakers shot 15-for-23 (65.2), including two big misses by LeBron James with 47.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Los Angeles trailing by five."I mean, listen, we obviously, we needed this game for obvious reasons," James said. It's just unfortunate with the opportunity that we had, and we haven't been able to seize that opportunity."There were several sequences that stood out to illustrate just how ugly things have become for the Lakers in a season that feels as if it's slipping away.Like when Suns rookie Deandre Ayton sprinted down the floor to chase down a loose ball midway through the third quarter with Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram both seemingly stuck in cement when the ball was heading in their direction."Bounced right in front of us, that turned into a fast break for them," Walton said.The Ayton dunk prompted Walton to call timeout to draw up a play. Saturday was only a carryover of many of the same issues that have occurred over and over again for the 2018-19 Lakers."Obviously there's something wrong with this team, and it's up to us to try to fix it, but not really sure right now," Kuzma said.Walton clung to a shred of positivity as his team fell to 4-7 with James in the lineup since he returned from his left groin injury -- the one variable pointed to most often as the reason Los Angeles' season went off the rails."I'm confident," Walton said.