The short-handed Lakers struggled massively against the Phoenix Suns in their last outing. In fact, this loss dropped them to the third position in the Western Conference with a 24-12 record. This was the sixth game that they’ve lost out of the last ten, highlighting the sorry state of affairs without Anthony Davis.

The Suns, on the other hand, moved up to the second spot with a 23-11 record.

Also, the intense matchup was overshadowed by Devin Booker’s, as some might call it, unfair ejection. However, after the matchup, the assistant coach of the Lakers not only talked about his thoughts on their recent losses but also fired shots at those teams trying to celebrate their small regular-season victories.

Phil Handy’s subtle jabs at other teams

Handy isn’t oblivious to how much more intense the playoffs can be compared to the regular season. As an assistant coach himself, he has appeared in the NBA Finals six times and joined the purple and gold just last year after successful stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.

The Lakers started the season on a very high note by hardly losing any games and staying in the top three teams of the West. But injuries and the COVID-19 health and safety protocols have become their biggest enemy. Having lost games more frequently this time, Phil talked about not focusing on these downfalls.

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He took to social media and wrote, “Regular season is a way to fine-tune your team for what we really play for. Keep telling some of the non basketball minds, you cannot overreact to losses at this time of the year.”

Handy also didn’t stop there and went on to take jabs at some other teams. “Same advice goes for regular season teams celebrating like you won the Finals during a regular-season game. Keep that same energy when it counts,” stated Phil.

Players being absent is a cause for concern for Lakers

After Anthony Davis, it’s been like a domino effect. Davis suffered an ACL injury and has been absent from the team since. No set timeline for his return has been given, but we know that he will not be back until after the All-Star Weekend.

Marc Gasol didn’t play the last game because of the health and safety protocols. Even Kyle Kuzma was scratched from the lineup last moment because of a bruised heel. This had rookie Damian Jones and Jared Dudley take charge on the frontcourt.

Also, for the first time this season, the Lakers played without LeBron James against the Sacramento Kings. Hopefully, this break will help most players recover and finish their necessary quarantine as well. And we will see the Lakers back in action like before.