No loss is acceptable to Derek Fisher and the Los Angeles Lakers, but after the soaring Lakers dropped a pair of games this weekend, D-Fish admitted that losses have their own therapeutic value.
And he expects the Lakers to respond tonight in Memphis.
"We understand we have the ability and the wherewithal to win every game," Fish told the Orange County Register. "I do think (a loss) can have the cleansing ability, to make everyone go back to basics and reflect on things that can be done better. And that’s happened in the past and we’ve responded."
The Lakers torrid pace to begin the season hit a mild speed bump over the holiday weekend as Los Angeles fell 102-95 to the Jazz in Utah on Friday. Then on Sunday, the Indiana Pacers came to the Staples Center and No. 2 scored six points in just 21 minutes. He also led the team in assists on the evening.
He got his first two of the evening quickly, when, with nine minutes to play in the first, he dished to Lamar Odom for a trey, then hit Pau Gasol on the very next possession for a jump shot.
Derek had one assist in the second, when he again found Odom for another three. In the third, No. 2 notched two more assists, first finding Odom for the third time, then hitting Pau Gasol for a long jumper.
However, the Lakers missed two last-ditch threes and Indiana held on for a 95-92 victory. Fish finished the evening with five assists to go along with his six points.
Despite their weekend setback, Los Angeles sits five games ahead of their closest competitor in the Pacific Division and their 13-4 record is tied for second best in the league.
NEXT UP
LA travels to the heartland to take on the Memphis Grizzlies tonight.
The Lakers are 1-0 against the Grizzlies this year, with No. 2 scoring eight points and tossing out four assists in a 124-105 victory on November 2nd.
The game tips off at 5 p.m. PST and can be seen on KCAL-TV.
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