Los Angeles is now 0-4 to start the 2015-16 NBA season and despite some solid play from youngsters Julius Randal and Jordan Clarkson, stopping the opposition has become an issue. The “Purple and Gold” have given up over 100 points in every game and with shooting woes from their top players, it looks like another long year for the team and its fans.
Bryant finished the night with just 11 points on 4-11 shooting from the floor. The 37-year-old is shooting just over 30 percent in the early part of the year and made comments saying “I freaking suck” to the media, leading some to believe a move to the bench might be the best option at this point in time.
Clarkson finished with a game-high 30 points, making 12 of 19 shots, including 4 of 6 from three-point range. The 23-year-old is averaging 14.3 points per game, second best on the LA Lakers and the only starter shooting over 50 percent on the year.
Randle followed up his career best game of 22 points and 15 rebounds against Dallas, with another strong outing, scoring 16 points and grabbing five rebounds in the loss on Tuesday night.
The Denver Nuggets broke a two-game losing streak behind the play of Kenneth Faried. In 40 minutes of action, the 25-year-old power forward hit 10-13 shots, scoring 28 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
All five starters for the Nuggets scored in double figures and the team hit on 43 of 85 shots. Denver also had a rebound advantage of +8 in the game and improved to 2-2 on the year with the upset victory on the road.
