Mike Brown upset with Lakers’ poor defensive play

Here’s a sneak-peek at tomorrow’s story tonight …

In the end, coach Mike Brown insisted he wasn’t as upset with center Andrew Bynum’s third-quarter ejection as he was with the Lakers’ porous defense and lack of hustle during a 107-104 loss Tuesday night to the Houston Rockets.

Brown also said he wasn’t as concerned about Bynum’s lack of discipline with the game up for grabs as he was with the Lakers’ inability to keep the shorthanded Rockets from picking them apart when it mattered most.

“Our defense is the worst it’s been all year,” Brown said after the Lakers lost their second in a row after a five-game winning streak. “The last seven or eight games, we just haven’t been playing well defensively. …

“We score 104 points in a regulation game. We shoot 51 percent from the field. Are you kidding me? We can’t play good enough defense and box out and come up with enough rebounds to stop them (the Rockets) from winning the game?”