West Notes: Lakers, LeBron James, Blazers, Jerami Grant, Jazz

Lakers

LeBron James didn’t really elaborate, but he did get straight to the point following the Lakers’ 44-point road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

“What needs to change in order for that to not happen again? A lot,” he told reporters.

• Monday’s loss marked the first time since 2010 that James didn’t grab a single rebound. 
• James also set the NBA record for minutes played during the game. “That doesn’t mean much to me,” he said.
• Coach Darvin Ham on the loss: “Your competitive spirit has to be at a high level. It almost has to be bulletproof to a certain degree. You have to meet force with force. They outhustled us.”

Trail Blazers

The Blazers beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season when they stunned the Indiana Pacers on the road on Monday.

“We knew what we had to do to give our team a chance playing against a team that is so brilliant offensively like they are,” coach Chauncey Billups told reporters. “We said we had to win first 10 seconds of every possession if we are going to give ourselves a chance to win. For 70% of the game, we did that. We are trying to establish ourselves as a good defensive team and I thought today was an important step.”

• Forward Jerami Grant led Portland with 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting. “I got some shots to go,” he said. “I just wanted to be aggressive.”
• In case you missed it, former Blazers forward Moe Harkless joined the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate. Harkless last played in the NBA in the 2021-22 season.

Jazz

Forward Simone Fontecchio scored a season-high 14 points as the Jazz held on to edge the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

“He’s a warrior. He’s got a fat lip and a lump on his head,” coach Will Hardy said, via Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. “And he just keeps sticking his face in there and defending. He looks like he’s been in a boxing match. … His effort rubs off on everybody.”

• Rookie guard Keyonte George scored a career-high 19 points. The Jazz led 114-107 with 2:42 to go and never scored again, holding on to win by two. It marked Utah’s fifth straight victory over New Orleans.