Grizzlies 104, Lakers 85

The Lakers, as Coach Phil Jackson, put it after the game, “went back to square one,” with another clunker tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies. They played with zero energy and efficiency and their fans let them hear about it as the game slipped away. Some booed. Some turned and left for home. Still others chanted, “Refund.” Kobe Bryant scored 17 of his team-leading 28 in the third quarter, but the Lakers’ deficit went from nine to 17 points. Pau Gasol scored six of the Lakers’ first nine points, but had only four the rest of the way.

“We’ll be fine,” Bryant said when asked about the Lakers’ lackluster play. “It’s how we address these issues … and not just sweep them under the rug. I think it’s important to focus on it and get it corrected instead of playing it out and seeing what happens.”