Eyes on road but not to Vegas

Defensive struggles still problem for Lakers

- DYLAN HERNÁNDEZ COLUMNIST

Photographs by GINA FERAZZI Los Angeles Times LEBRON JAMES wasn't ready to talk about any playoff possibilities after Wednesday's loss to the Spurs ended L.A.'s NBA Cup run.

The answer was entirely predictable: “Good.” The question that elicited the response above from Austin Reaves: How was he feeling physically?

Reaves doesn’t make excuses, and he wasn’t about to start now, not in the wake of a 132-119 defeat by the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.

Except Reaves didn’t look good in the loss.

He finished with a modest 15 points, including only four in the first half.

The underwhelming performance followed an 11-point game against the Philadelphia 76ers three days earlier.

"Just didn’t get the ball to go in the basket," Reaves said.

Or was it something more? Was the offensive burden he shouldered up to this point starting to take a toll on him? Had the former undrafted free agent really elevated his game to a new level or was he just on a six-week heater? The answers will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The Lakers, however, already know they can't win with Reaves playing the way he did against the Spurs, when he made only two of six shots in the opening half.