Two ACC teams stood tall while the SEC dominated the challenge series. Duke and Clemson delivered statement wins, but the rest of the conference was left reeling.LA Clippers wing Terance Mann will undergo surgery for a fractured left middle finger. Mann is expected to be out at least three weeks following the procedure. The veteran wing was injured in the Clippers win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
Mann has had a down season for the Clippers this year. After shooting over 51% in each of the last two seasons, Mann has dropped to 44% this season, including a career-worst 34% from behind the arc. As a result, the 6-foot-5 wing’s scoring has dropped off from 8.8 points per game to 6.3 points per game. Mann has vacillated between starting and coming off the bench for Ty Lue’s surprising LA squad.
The Los Angeles Lakers are reeling after back-to-back blowout losses. After losing by 29 points at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, the Lakers were hammered by 41 points at the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The loss in Miami left Los Angeles coach JJ Redick saying he and his team are embarrassed.
“Has to be some ownership,” Redick said after the Lakers dropped the sixth game out of their last eight. “You can splinter, and it’s easy to not want the ownership, particularly when it’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed. We’re all embarrassed. It’s not a game that I thought we had the right fight, the right professionalism.”
Redick went on to say he owns the way his team performs, while not letting the players off the hook either.
“There has to be some ownership on the court, and I’ll take all the ownership in the world. This is my team and I lead it and I’m embarrassed. But I can’t physically get us organized. I can’t physically be into the basketball. I can’t physically talk and call out [switches] and physically call out coverages,” Redick said. “And by the way, I’m not blaming players. It’s not. I own this, but going to need some ownership on the court as well. … There’s not a sense from me that we’re together right now.”
Lakers veteran superstar LeBron James said he agreed with Redick “100%”, but added, “It’s not on the coaches. It’s definitely on us, for sure.”
All-Star center Anthony Davis was willing to shoulder a lot of the blame himself, while expressing belief in the Lakers as a team.
“I have the utmost confidence in this group and this coaching staff,” Davis said. “I personally just think it starts with me. If I play better, then guys play better. I definitely take accountability, especially the last couple of games. Just not being there for the team on the offensive end.”
